Do you want a 3D Printed Heart?

3D printing is the way to print in 3 dimensions and while it’s still relatively new, we have made some impressive leaps in printing 3D. It all began with printing basic stuff in 3D and then we were onto big things like 3D printing big homes in 2-3 days.

I am talking about homes where humans could easily live. But, what we are about to witness is totally epic. The next leap in 3D printing is about 3D printing human organs that could function in the same way as the real one do.

If this comes true, then we wouldn’t have to wait for a donor to donate an organ. More specifically, doctors could shape and mould the organ to completely fit the patient’s needs and requirements. This customization could mean better optimization, calibration and integration of the organ with the patient’s body.

A team of biomedical engineers from Carnegie Mellon University are bringing us closer to the reality of having access to 3D printed organs. They have been able to successfully 3D print a heart which is capable of mimicking the structure and elasticity just like a real heart.

This medical breakthrough is quite promising and one day can save someone’s life. Earlier there were efforts to print a human organ in 3D but all the attempts resulted in failure.

But there’s a new technique called FRESH or Freeform Reversible Embedding of Suspended Hydrogels. This technique helps to print in 3D using softer materials that look and feel just like human tissue.

3D hearts have been printed before but they all have been too small which were fit for a rabbit or a mouse than a human. Full-sized, 3D printed hearts can also be used as educational tools to help surgeons prepare for surgery.

Older models were made of plastic or metals that were quite rigid and solid. Although they could be used to demonstrate how a human heart functions, the medical students couldn’t interact with them as if it was a real human heart.

But this technique will help us in more ways than we can think of. These 3D printed tissues could be used for testing drugs more safely, decrease animal testing and someday even replace or repair damaged organs with a new healthy 3D printed organ.

Not only this, 3D printing can also be used to print other organs as well such as:-

• Liver
• Brain
• Kidneys
• Lungs
• Eyes
• Or whatever you might want to print (Duh)

One thing is sure that the people developing this technology are actually putting their hearts into it. We hope they achieve it as soon as possible and humanity makes a big leap one more time.