Organ Printing May Replace Transplants
Posted on December 1, 2005
The Deseret News has an article about bio-paper which may a step in the process needed for organ printing. Organ printing is a procedure that may replace organ donation in the future. University of Utah Presidential Professor of Medicinal Chemistry Glenn D. Prestwich thinks organ printing may be able to create simple organs in just five years.
Prestwich began working on creating the hydrogel when he arrived at the U. in 1996 and he had developed a functioning material for wound-healing applications by 2000. Now researchers are hoping to use it to repair damaged organs in real time.It would certainly be nice if people that needed an organ transplant could simply "grow" or "print" their own. But five years seems quick even for simple organs.The NSF study will try first to print blood vessels and cardiovascular networks. Once they prove it can be done, the scientists will look at more complex organs such as livers and kidneys and simpler but more mechanical organs like the esophagus, Prestwich said.
The hydrogel has other uses. Besides use in organ printing, Prestwich believes it is about ready for prime time in basic medicine applications. He said he expects it will be used in humans within the next year, perhaps in treatment of chronic sinusitis.
Experts believe that millions of people who need transplants eventually will benefit from organ printing. "I believe in five years we're going to be able to print simple organs, such as a cardiovascular network or a urethra," Prestwich said.