Bioprinting: Science or Fiction?

摘要

The liveliest - literally - field of 3D printing may sound like something from a sci-fi movie, but (spoilers) its real and happening now. Cornell University's Lawrence Bonassar calls bioprinting the intersection of three technologies: tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and 3D printing. It's the 3D printing of biological media for replacement of human tissue or biofriendly engineered materials such as scaffolds and drug release mechanisms for helping the healing process of human tissue. Bioprinting, along with tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, is trying to fill a needed niche between organ and tissue donation - there are only so many donors - and implants and replacements based on engineered materials that have limited service lives due to wear and fatigue failures and that may also be prone to product recalls.