Researchers in the US are using old inkjet printers to produce sheets of human skin to be used on burn victims.
Scientists are using slightly modified desktop printers to produce three-dimensional living tissue. Printer cartridges are filled with living cells and a so-called smart gel. A standard printer nozzle then prints alternate, thin layers of cells and biodegradable gel onto glass slides. The cells fuse into bits of tissue, creating a tube or other three-dimensional form. Once the tissue-engineered structure is complete, the smart gel is cooled and washed away, leaving only the live cells behind. One of the researchers, Anthony Atala of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., thinks the technology could be used clinically within a couple of years. Still, he cautions: "It always takes longer than you hope." via. weblogs.com
