Printing technology has come a long way in the 21st century, moving swiftly from two-dimensional into the realm of 3D. Furniture, cars, shoes, a replica of King Tutankhamun – these are all things that have been made with 3D printing technology. However, it doesn’t stop at material objects. In fact, using modified printer cartridges and extracted cells as the basis, scientists have discovered a way in which human tissues can printed. While this amazing concept is still at an early stage, the future of bioprinting will allow for full organs and other human parts to be printed on demand for patients. Such a possibility will eventually wipe out the need for donor organs, which is a problem today considering the vast amount of patients in need of new organs.
As shown in the infographic below, the work of bioprinting was first started long ago in 1984 by Charles Hull. As of 2012, scientist have successfully printed nerve guides, blood vessels and lung tissues.
