Organ
printing,
or
the
process
of
engineering
tissue
via
3D
printing,
possesses
revolutionary
potential
for
organ
transplants.
But
do
sociological
consequences
follow?
Organ
printing
offers
help
to
those
in
need
of
immediate
organ
transplants
and
other
emergency
situations,
but
it
also
pushes
the
medical
establishment
towards
utilizing
artificial
biology
as
an
immediate
means
of
treatment
over
sound
nutrition
and
preventative
treatment.
The
hasty
technological
advancement
towards
organ
printing
is
offering
surgery-happy
medical
establishments
even
more
ways
to
use
invasive
medical
practices.
The
creation
process
of
artificial
tissue
is a
complex
and
expensive
process.
In
order
to
build
3D
structures
such
as a
kidney
or
lung,
a
printer
is
used
to
assemble
cells
into
whichever
shape
is
wanted.
For
this
to
happen,
the
printer
creates
a
sheet
of
bio-paper
which
is
cell-friendly.
Afterwards,
it
prints
out
the
living
cell
clusters
onto
the
paper.
After
the
clusters
are
placed
close
to
one
another,
the
cells
naturally
self-organize
and
morph
into
more
complex
tissue
structures.
The
whole
process
is
then
repeated
to
add
multiple
layers
with
each
layer
separated
by a
thin
piece
of
bio-paper.
Eventually,
the
bio-paper
dissolves
and
all
of
the
layers
become
one.
To
get
a
further
understanding
of
the
methodology,
it
is
important
to
understand
the
current
challenges
that
go
along
with
'printing'
artificial
organs
to
be
used
in
human
bodies.
As
of
now,
scientists
are
only
able
to
produce
a
maximum
of
about
2
inches
of
thickness.
"When
you
print
something
very
thick,
the
cells
on
the
inside
will
die
--
there's
no
nutrients
getting
in
there
--
so
we
need
to
print
channels
there
and
hope
that
they
become
blood
vessels",
explains
Thomas
Boland,
an
associate
professor
at
Clemson
University.
Blood
vessels
feed
organs
in
the
body,
keeping
them
alive
and
working.
Without
blood
vessels,
the
organ
cannot
function.
This
is
the
problem
scientists
are
currently
facing
with
organ
printing.
Using
the
patient's
own
cells
as a
catalyst,
artificial
organs
may
soon
become
mainstream
practice
among
treatment
centers
worldwide.
As
the
health
of
the
nation
delves
down
to
record
negatives,
organ
printing
may
be
the
establishment's
answer
to a
number
of
preventable
conditions.
Organ
printing
is
relatively
new,
and
the
idea
of
printing
new
organs
sounds
very
much
like
science
fiction.
But
it
is
on
its
way
to
becoming
a
reality.
It
is
more
than
just
a
possibility
that
50
years
from
now
people
will
be
walking
around
with
a
new
lung
printed
in a
lab.
