Dr. AndreAna Pena is our Senior Editor covering the Life Sciences in 3D Printing. AndreAna has a PhD in Cellular and Structural Biology from UTHSC San Antonio. In addition to writing about developments in bioprinting and medical printing, Dr Pena drives research in the oral microbiome and develops bioactive dental appliances that change the oral environment to improve oral health. Dr. Pena has worked on an expansive range of topics including cancer, biofuels, neuroscience, microbiology, genetics, evolutionary biology, materials engineering, bioinformatics, and 3d printing from the nano-scale up.
Researchers team led by Ramille Shah at Northwestern University, Illinois, have made progress towards a new type of bone called as the HyperElastic Bone which will be a breakthrough in modern medicine. Using bioactive hydroxyapatite, different biomaterials and EnvisionTEC 3D-Bioplotter System for 3D Printing, this new bone will provide extreme benefits to surgeons.
AMBER Materials Science Center, Ireland, are working on bone grafts through 3D Printing, either via autografting or allografting by inserting the bioprinted materials and patient's stem cells subcutaneously and regenerating the bone. Funded by Science Foundation, Ireland and hosted at Trinity College, Dublin; this new method will provide less painful, successful and affordable reach to the patients with Cancerous tumors or suffering bone defects.
3D Bioprinting is being used in laboratories to produce hearts, livers, kidneys, etc. and no doubt, will be printed in reality for organ transplantation in real patients. But this on the other side, has increased the risk of black market and the ways bad guys will be utilizing these 3D Printed Organs. Since these organs will be available for normal people easily, criminals will find ways to make it not so.