A revolutionary new technology has just been successfully utilized to save a life for the tenth time since its inception. A man named Luke Massella was plagued with medical issues that required numerous surgeries by the time he was 11 but one more surgery allowed him to live a healthy lifestyle. This operation was the transplant of a new bladder but it was not an organ from a selfless donor. Instead, it was made entirely of his own cells. This replacement bladder was created using a technique known as 3D bio-printing.

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This technology works similarly to normal 3D printers but instead of a plastic fed through it, it lays human cells into layers to create living tissue. These cells are grown in a petri dish and are replicated from the host’s body. Medical experts are working to turn these layers of tissue into working organs to be transplanted into the bodies of those on the organ donor waiting list. The reason that this is such a monumental development is that thousands of people have died while waiting for replacement organs. The idea of 3D bio-printing could eventually lead to the organ donor list being done away with altogether, saving lives and increasing the quality of life for many victims of injury or disease.

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The primary reason that printing organs could be so much more successful that donor organs is that donor organs have a much higher chance to be rejected. In some cases the host body rejects the donor organ because it sense those cells as invaders and the operation becomes a failure and the organ could potentially be lost entirely. This printed tissue is one-hundred percent indigenous cells. The risk of it being rejected by the body is almost nonexistent. If this technology continues to develop it is possible that this will be the primary tool used for operations and limb restoration. It also has the potential to increase the lifespan of humans by a significant margin.

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3D bio-printing is still in its early stages but the potential is being seen by facilities and corporations with the means to create a procedure that makes a significant portion of our current healthcare system obsolete. For example, twenty years from now a patient may be able to go to their doctor for a checkup and have a three dimensional scan done of the ins and outs of their body. This person then gets in a car accident and must get a new lung but they don’t have a donor. The doctor can the use the cells from the individual to grow an entirely new lung while the patient remains on life support and once complete, the new organ is transplanted and the patient recovers. It’s a wonderful concept that would be incredibly beneficial to humankind.

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Even better yet, maybe this technology becomes so advanced that we can replace entire limbs and eventually print clones of ourselves or even escape the affects of aging. We will have to watch closely and hope for the best.