3D Printed Corneas
The cornea is a transparent layer forming the front of the human eye. It may seem like a simple component of our body, but is actually a highly complex tissue. The cornea contains no blood vessels, and receives its nourishment from tears and the aqueous humor, which is a fluid in the front part of […]
Growing An Ear On A Forearm With Autologous Cartilage
This story may seem unbelievable at first, but it is true. A 21-year-old Army soldier was in a car accident which caused her severe bodily harm. In addition to numerous wounds, her ear was severed. Army plastic surgeons did an amazing total ear reconstruction. They harvested cartilage from the soldier’s ribs. Then they carved a new […]
Clinical Trials for Stem Cell-based Cartilage Underway
One subject among my weekly e-briefs which consistently generates a lot of feedback is related to knees. One thing baby boomers have in common is the need for joint replacements. The number of hip and knee replacements in the U.S. is roughly one million per year, 2/3 of which are knees. Over the years ahead, projections […]
3D-Printable Knees
One subject among my weekly e-briefs which consistently generates a lot of feedback is knees. One thing baby boomers have in common is the need for joint replacements. The number of hip and knee replacements in the U.S. is roughly one million per year, 2/3 of which are knees. Over the years ahead, projections indicate there […]
3D Printing of Body Parts
The merger of biological and non-biological parts in the human body is underway. It is not hard to imagine amazing cures for things previously thought impossible. Thousands die every year while waiting for a transplant. That will become history. Clinicians can’t print an operating human liver yet, but they can print liver tissue. Progress is […]