3D Printing of Human Body Parts

Jonathan DeLong

What is 3D Printing and How Does it Work?

First 3D printing process invented in 1984 by Charles Hull

Work like inkjet printers, but use other materials Laser source shoots a beam to solidify material Platform raises and lowers to help lay layers Layers added on top of each other

How is it Used in the Medical Field?

First use of 3D printing in the medical field occurred in 1999

Young patients received bladder augmentation using printed scaffolding

This scaffolding was coated with patients' own cells

In 2002, scientists engineered a miniature functional kidney

What Kinds of Things Can Be Done Now?

Scaffolds can be printed and coated in patients' cells

3D printing saved an infants life

Splint printed to support trachea that would dissolve over time

What Does the Future Hold?

The field of bioprinting has grown rapidly in the past few years

Scientists have laid groundwork for printing of organs, and see it as feasible in the coming years