PRINT YOUR OWN NEW ORGANS

TRANSPLANT patients could soon receive new organs printed using 3D technology.

Experts have discovered how to use the revolutionary printers to create living human tissue.

And they reckon the breakthrough will give doctors the power to create readymade new organs to implant into patients.

Scientists at Bristol University have invented a type of “bio-ink” made from stem cells which are the building blocks of human DNA.

Dr Adam Perriman said: “It’s a very exciting development which we believe could lead to a revolution in the treatment of diseases such as osteoarthritis and other causes of tissue damage.

“This approach is taking the scientific world by storm in terms of its approach to regenerative medicine.”

The “bio-ink” has already been used to create a full-size replacement windpipe.

When the special substance is fed into a 3D printer, it transforms into a solid gel which has all the ingredients needed to create living tissue.

Dr Perriman added: “You need a material that is printable, strong enough to maintain its shape when immersed in nutrients and that is not harmful to the cells.

“There was a lot of trial and error before we cracked the final formulation.”

In the US, scientists are testing on-the-spot skin printing for soldiers with life-threatening burns. HOPE: 3D heart