A patient with the rare ear disease microtia has been stitched into the ear with a 3D printer made from his own cells. The transplant was part of the first clinical trial of the AuriNovo technique developed by 3DBio Therapeutics. In this trial, his own cells will have eleven recipients of the new ear.
Normally, patients with microtia are treated with synthetic materials or ears made from rib biopsies. Instead, for an AuriNovo ear, a sample of cartilage is taken from the person’s own ear. These cells are enlarged and 3D printed in the shape of one’s own ear (the case is usually one-sided). The printed ear will naturally live and grow. It is less likely to be rejected because it is made from its own cells.
While ears are not life-saving organs, this development is a step towards being able to regenerate more complex organs from their own cells.
Source: The Verge
Source: Hardware Info
