Organ transplantation ... 3D printing

Artificial organs created with biological 3D printing will solve the problem of a shortage of organ donors.

December 3 last marked 50 years of the first heart transplant surgery in the world. The surgery performed by Dr. Christian Barnard in South Africa in 1967 opened a revolution for the medical industry.

Prolong

Since then, patients with heart transplantation usually live longer than the average of 17-20 years. The longest life of a heart transplant patient is 36 years. Mr. Dimutna Albert, pediatric cardiologist and organ transplant coordinator at Mother Hospital - Children Val-d ›Obron in Barcelona - Spain, tells Sputnik radio that these numbers have proven to advance. significant set after the first successful heart transplant.

According to Albert, the emergence of new drugs against infectious diseases and helped significantly increase survival rates for patients. Today, heart transplant for people under 65 with cardiomyopathy or heart attack is an opportunity for them to live longer.

"Medicine is constantly improving. I have told patients that the ability to live 20 years ago is very low. Now, they can live for 20 years and after 20 years, this number can increase to 40 years. " - Mr. Albert predicted.

However, Roberto Canessa, a cardiologist in Uruguay, points out one of the worrying issues is a growing list of patients waiting for organ transplants due to a lack of donors. In general, the list of patients requiring organ transplants is longer than the list of people who are willing and able to donate. Because some agencies can only be donated after a volunteer dies. For example, according to the statistics of the British Heart Fund (BHF), the number of patients waiting for a heart transplant in this country has increased 162% in the past 10 years. According to the Financial Times, only about 200 heart transplants are performed every year in the UK, a limited number due to low supplies.

This worry can be partly relieved if the forecasts of Stephen Westaby, an expert at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford City - England, are correct."I think within 10 years, we will not see any more heart transplants, except for those with congenital heart disease who need to have a new heart replacement," he told the Telegraph.

The reason for Westaby's belief in this scenario is the continued advancement of medical technology - which can provide alternative solutions that save time, money and save more people."The combination of pacemakers and stem cells has the potential to become a solution that can help more people" - Mr. Westaby expects.

BIOLIFE4D (USA) is developing a biological printer that enables the creation of a user's heart in transplantation (Photo: BIOLIFE4D).

Significant progress

Stem cells are one of the most striking and promising medical advances, despite controversy. The application of stem cells is somewhat limited by moral issues rather than science.

Stem cell studies have demonstrated that it is possible to develop internal organs in the laboratory, then transplant them into the human body. Besides, modern science also helps create artificial organs using a different technology masterpiece:.

The achievements so far are quite impressive. Scientists have succeeded in bio-3D printing some internal organs . These achievements have been achieved thanks to the continuous improvement of biological ink and biological 3D printers. However, many experts believe it is still too early to talk about cardiac printing with 3D machines.

"Other organs, like the liver, can regenerate. The liver can grow, so to transplant, small parts of the liver will be cut from the mother or father, then grafted into the child's body. 3D printing can also be used to create such parts, but the heart is not yet possible, " explained Dr. Albert. Currently, only mechanical devices called "" can be used for a short time when patients wait for a transplant. However, these devices need to be greatly improved if they want to help patients live longer.

Meanwhile, the prospect of creating a heart with biological 3D printing technology is increasing over time. BIOLIFE4D (USA) is developing a biological printer that allows medical professionals and 3D heart print scientists who can be implanted for patients.

However, BIOLIFE4D acknowledges it is not clear when the technology was commercialized, but hoped to bring good news to the health sector in the next few years. They also want to make sure technology isn't just for the rich, but anyone who needs a heart transplant.