Our 3D printing company in Seattle has already described many instances wherein 3D printing proved invaluable for the medical field. It’s no mystery that 3D scanning and printing has many powerful applications in replacing or repairing damaged organs or bodily tissues. However, the holy grail of medical 3D printing is still on the horizon. This is bioprinting, the art of being able to actually create a real, organic body part through the use of 3D printing technology.
FabLab Amsterdam is currently working to crack the bioprinting nut. The goal is to be able to utilize conventional 3D printing machines to lay down layers of real stem cells into functional, organic tissues and organs. This technology is paired with something called an OpenPCR machine, which serves to copy DNA strands over thousands of millions of times to create the desired types of cells. Should the lab be successful in its research, it could mean the greatest advance in medical technology of our age.
In order to further examine the potential of bioprinting, Utrecht University will be holding a bioprinting summer course later this month. We are all looking forward to the illuminations of this course.