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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Patients requiring reconstruction of a body part may soon have lab-grown 3D-printed cartilage [bbc.com] implanted:

Patients needing surgery to reconstruct body parts such as noses and ears could soon have treatment using cartilage which has been grown in a lab. The process involves growing someone's cells in an incubator and then mixing them with a liquid which is 3D printed into the jelly-like shape needed. It is then put back in an incubator to grow again until it is ready.

Researchers in Swansea hope to be among the first in the world to start using it on humans within three years.

"In simple terms, we're trying to grow new tissue using human cells," said Prof Iain Whitaker, consultant plastic surgeon at the Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery at Morriston Hospital.

[...] How the process works

• Cells are taken from a tiny sample of cartilage during the initial operation and grown in an incubator over several weeks
• The shape of the missing body part is scanned and fed into a computer
• It is then 3D printed using a special liquid formula combined with the live cells to form the jelly-like structure
• Reagents are added to strengthen the structure
• It is put into an incubator with a flow of nutrients to supply the cells with food so they can grow and produce their own cartilage
• The structure will then be tested to see if it is strong enough to be eventually implanted into patients

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