3D-printed nose implanted in forearm of woman who lost it to cancer

reproduction methods 3D organs They are becoming more and more advanced. So much so that it was possible to restore nose women with a previously implanted synthetic graft forearm.

This may sound like a joke, but it is a very real thing. The procedure was carried out in France, in Institute of Oncology of the University of Toulouse-Oncopolhand of scientists from the specified institution and Claudius Rego Institute.

The patient lost her nose after undergoing crayfish in the said body. Luckily, chemotherapy and radiotherapy not only killed the tumor, but healthy cells in the nose as well. Several attempts have been made facial reconstructionsno good results. Therefore, the last option was to resort to 3D printing of organs. It has already shown its effectiveness in a variety of organs, from the ears to the very skin. But in this case, there was a problem, as the treatment also damaged the blood vessels that previously supplied the nose. Therefore, if the organ were placed directly, it would fail due to lack of blood supply. On the boat this soon became a problem, but those in charge of the procedure were able to solve it in a very ingenious way.

The amazing world of 3D printed organs

More and more people are learning about organ donation. Spain, in fact, usually bears the title of the country that brings in more such donations each year. However, they are not always enough, especially since not all organs are suitable for everyone. compatibility This is very important and it greatly reduces the possibilities.

Therefore, one should look for other alternatives such as production of certain organs for each patient. This is something that has been studied for many years, although with the advent of 3D printers, this process has accelerated.

In general terms, the process consists of four steps. The first, photos taken using tomography of the reproduced organ. After, the shape is made of biocompatible and biodegradable polymers. This means that they will not be rejected by the human body and moreover, once their function is completed, they can be broken down and reabsorbed without problems. In the third step, these forms act as scaffolding, on which the tissue cells necessary to build the specified organ are grown. You can use stem cells obtained by reprogramming the patient’s own cells. This avoids failures. In any case, the last step is that the patient’s own cells invade implant and occupy the entire form to such an extent that it is no longer needed and can already decompose.

This whole process of 3D printing organs is also known as bioprinting. He really needs vascularization, which is why the nose cast in France is so interesting.

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Nose that first passed through the forearm

The patient in this story was treated in 2013 for a squamous cell carcinoma that was proliferating in her body. nasal cavity. The cancer treatment was successful. However, there was a lot of collateral damage as the woman lost her nose in the process.

As a result, he spent several years undergoing various nose reconstruction procedures, all of which were unsuccessful. He could not save the organ. For this reason, the doctors who treated her contacted scientists Cherkhum, a Belgian medical device manufacturer that has already done some bioprinting work. Two research centers, together with a Belgian company, set about creating a nose that could be implanted on a patient’s face. But there was a problem, since chemotherapy and radiation therapy also affected blood vessel.

For this reason, it was decided to initially implant the woman’s nose on the forearm. In just over two months, the woman’s cells colonized the implant, and she had an organ. tolerated and well vascularized. For this reason, a face transplant was performed in September 2022. There, it was possible to connect the vessels that had developed in the hand with those that were still active on the face, near the temple. It allowed to plug nose so that it can function in its new location.

Since then, everything has gone well, the nose is not bent and the woman is healthy. This is a prime example of what can be achieved with 3D printing of organs. It almost seems like science fiction, but the great thing about this story is that it’s not.