Organ printing is an emerging branch of medicine which uses healthy cells to repair a damaged or diseased organ. But as its name implies, this new medical technology needs ink, paper and a printer. Now, a new hydrogel -- or biopaper -- developed at the University of Utah has been selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to speed up this process, according to Deseret Morning News. This five-year NSF study will initially try to print blood vessels and cardiovascular networks. But its real goal is to build some complex organs, such as livers or kidneys. This technology can potentially help millions of people waiting for transplants. This overview contains more details and a picture of the process of organ printing.
Sources: Lois M. Collins, Deseret Morning News, Salt Lake City, November 5, 2005; and various web sites
You'll find related stories by following the links below.
9:20:44 PM
Permalink
|
|
