Scientists have been experimenting with “printing” various types of human tissue for years now, often using their own tricked-out devices. The Economist has a great article on a company that is now making printers specifically for this purpose. In addition, over at the Singularity Hub, there is a nice discussion of some of the players in the field. And this article from Canada discusses how doctors hope that, in the near future, “tissue engineers will be able to regrow a breast for women suffering from breast cancer” or will be able to regrow parts of the brain to fight mental decline. This is the first time I’ve heard organ growing researchers talking about the brain — a very exciting development.
The ability to successfully grow replacement parts for ourselves would mean longer and healthier lives. I’m looking forward to seeing if the new printers speed up research results.