The patient, who is from Mexico, was born with microtia, a rare birth defect that causes a small and irregular shape of the eardrum or the outside of the ear (this can also affect hearing in the ear). With more research, company executives said, the technology could be used to make many other body parts, including spinal discs, noses, knee menisci, rotator cuffs and reconstructive lumpectomy tissue. Further down the road, they said, 3-D printing can even produce much more complex vital organs, such as the liver, kidneys and pancreas.
“It’s so exciting, sometimes you have to calm down a bit,” said Dr. Arturo Bonilla, a pediatric ear reconstruction surgeon in San Antonio who performed the woman’s implant. The trial was funded by 3DBio Therapeutics, but Dr. Bonilla has no financial stake in the company. “If everything goes according to plan, it will revolutionize the way it is done,” he said.
James Yatridis, who runs a spine bioengineering lab at Icahn School of Medicine in Mount Sinai, said other 3-D printed tissue implants are in preparation, but he was unaware of other products tested in a clinical trial.
“Then the 3-D ear implant is evidence of a concept for assessing biocompatibility, shape matching and shape retention in living people,” said Dr. Yatridis.
However, the outer part of the ear is a relatively simple appendage that is cosmetic rather than functional, said Dr. Feinberg of Carnegie Mellon. He warned that the road to solid organs – such as the liver, kidneys, hearts and lungs – was still a long one. “Just going from the ear to the spinal disc is a big leap, but it’s more realistic if you have the ear,” he said.
The production process of 3-D printing creates a solid, three-dimensional digital model object. The technology usually involves a computer-controlled printer that deposits material in thin layers to create the exact shape of the object.
Add Comment