3D printed human cornea. proof of concept

super cool. the next decade is going to be very interesting

www.sciencedaily.com...

he proof-of-concept research, published today in Experimental Eye Research, reports how stem cells (human corneal stromal cells) from a healthy donor cornea were mixed together with alginate and collagen to create a solution that could be printed, a 'bio-ink'. Using a simple low-cost 3D bio-printer, the bio-ink was successfully extruded in concentric circles to form the shape of a human cornea. It took less than 10 minutes to print. The stem cells were then shown to culture -- or grow.

how #in cool is that?

bio ink!!!!!

"Our unique gel -- a combination of alginate and collagen -- keeps the stem cells alive whilst producing a material which is stiff enough to hold its shape but soft enough to be squeezed out the nozzle of a 3D printer.

The dimensions of the printed tissue were originally taken from an actual cornea. By scanning a patient's eye, they could use the data to rapidly print a cornea which matched the size and shape.

how cool would it be if blindness can be cured?

there is a significant shortage of corneas available to transplant, with 10 million people worldwide requiring surgery to prevent corneal blindness as a result of diseases such as trachoma, an infectious eye disorder. In addition, almost 5 million people suffer total blindness due to corneal scarring caused by burns, lacerations, abrasion or disease.

i feel like we are living in the most interesting time ever.
tech is moving so fast.

hopefully things like blindness will be cured one day

a reply to: TinySickTears

Right on the heels of the other "eye opening" discovery...

phys.org, May 29, 2018 - Engineers invent a noninvasive technique to correct vision.


They bounce femtosecond lasers off you eye's own corneal tissue. That causes it to change shape. Then, they just hit the areas to get the correct shape. No burning of tissue, no long recovery times... even works for those that can't go the LASIK route. No more glasses in future?? Heck, even thinner lenses would be nice!

Cool stuff! S+F!

Frikken' lasers, man!

The idea of synthetic corneas made with collagen has been around a while now (see article below), but I suppose this 3D printing technique could be used to print a cornea to a more exacting shape.

Synthetic corneas prove successful

Great info. I think 3d printing is about the best thing EVER. Imagine 3d bio printing stem cells, veins, all kinds and types of special bodily parts. I don't think it has been fully embraced for the powerful tool it can be.

I might need one or two of these someday. I think I would prefer synthetic instead of having a body part of another person.
Science is definitely amazing!