24 3-D printed livers in a multi-well glass dish. (Photo Credit: Organovo)
The worlds of pharmaceutical testing and 3D printing are coming together, and here's the newest, craziest example of bioprinting: tiny, printed mini-livers.
The human liver provides the body with an important detoxifier; thus, it's important to know when testing new drugs how the liver will respond. However, many of the options for doing liver tests on pharmaceuticals, such as using lab rats or bits of tissue, haven't given a full picture of the potential toxicity of drugs.
By printing up miniature livers just a few millimeters across, pharma companies will be able to get a more comprehensive picture of how drugs might affect a patient before the drug goes into risky medical trials.
The livers, created by a company called Organovo, have a 42-day lifespan. That's great for medical testing, but scientists still have a long way to go toward the big dream: 3D-printed organs that could save countless lives.
Organovo's bio-printer.
Via Popular Science.
