Scientists Successfully
3D-Prints Heart From
Human Cells Professor Cal Dvir is the first person to
engineer and print an entire heart filled with
cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers. Dvir’s process began with a biopsy of fatty
tissue from the abdominal region of a patient. He and his team then reprogrammed the
tissue’s cells to become stem cells, which
then differentiated into heart cells. The cells were then
processed into a hydrogel
which served as the “ink”
for his 3D printer. The resulting heart is only the size
of a rabbit’s, but has the potential to
redefine heart transplantation. Dvir says the next step in his research is to train
the 3D-printed hearts to function properly. Professor Cal Dvir,
via CNN Once successful, he plans to
transplant the 3D-printed
hearts into animal models
and then hopefully humans. Professor Cal Dvir,
via CNN