3D kidneys a step away

THE grand aim of one day printing a whole human kidney ready for transplant is a step closer, with the arrival of a 3D cell bioprinter in Australia.

Melbourne’s Murdoch Childrens Research Institute scientists, who have already grown human “mini kidneys” from stem cells, will first use the printer to create kidney tissue to better understand the mechanisms behind disease and to test promising medications.

Head of MCRI’s Kidney Research Laboratory Professor Melissa Little said she hoped to make transplantable tissue “in the next 10-15 years”.