The patient, who is from Mexico, was born with microtia, a rare birth defect that causes the atrium, or external part of the ear, to be small and malformed (it can also affect the ear to the ear). With more research, company executives said, the technology could be used to make many other replacement body parts, including spinal discs, noses, knee menisci, rotator cuffs, and reconstructive tissue. and tumorectomies. Later, they said, 3D printing could even produce much more complex vital organs, such as the liver, kidneys, and pancreas.
“This is so exciting, sometimes I have to temper myself a little bit,” said Dr. Arturo Bonilla, a pediatric ear reconstructive surgeon in San Antonio who performed the woman’s implant surgery. The trial was funded by 3DBio Therapeutics, but Dr. Bonilla has no financial involvement in the company. “If everything goes as planned, this will revolutionize the way it is done,” he said.
James Iatridis, who runs a spine bioengineering lab at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine, said there were other printed tissue implants in the process, but did not know of any other products that were being used. testing in a clinical trial.
“The 3-D ear implant is then a proof of concept for assessing biocompatibility, concordance, and shape retention in living people,” said Dr. Iatridis.
Still, the outer part of the ear is a relatively simple appendix that is more aesthetic than functional, said Dr. Feinberg of Carnegie Mellon. He warned that the road to solid organs, such as the liver, kidneys, heart and lungs, was still long. “Going from one ear to a spinal disc is a pretty big leap, but it’s more realistic if you have an ear,” he said.
The process of making 3D printing creates a solid, three-dimensional object from a digital model. Technology usually involves a computer-controlled printer that deposits material in thin layers to create the precise shape of the object.