January 10, 2007

Print Yourself a New Heart, Kidney, Lung, Etc.

By Jason Sattler

DoubleSided: Carnegie Mellon Unveils Bio-Ink Printer for Transforming Stem cells into Muscle and Bone

Scientists at Carnegie Mellon announced they have developed a printer that outputs in "bio-ink", according to Popular Mechanics. Studies have shown that the bio-ink created by the printer can grow new bone and muscle tissue when combined with stem cells from mice.

The scientists believe this type of treatment may help develop techniques for treating Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative musculoskeletal conditions in humans.

“The inkjet is ideal for what we’re trying to do because it allows for precise control over size, shape and concentration of the bio-ink patterns,” says Dr. Julie A. Phillippi, who has worked on the project for more than a year. Future projects for the team include working on a 3D inkjet printer to build more complex patterns layer by layer.

Sorry, Databazaar doesn't sell bio-ink (yet). And bio-ink can't print organs (yet), just bone and muscle.

About DoubleSided
We all have our idiosyncracies. So do printers as it turns out. In our DoubleSided feature, we explore the lighter side of printers as well as the esoteric and bizarre. We also peer into the future of printing. From fabbers to printing on toast, you'll find it all here.