Artificial Organs

3D Printing: Is Bio-Printing the Future of Organ Replacement?

by Socrates
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I have written previously about the unfolding revolution in 3D printing which will eventually penetrate every facet of home-made manufacturing including the printing of food. Now, picture the following scenario: You get a full 3 dimensional scan of your complete body geometry. One day there is an accident and unfortunately you lose an ear or some other part of your body. Still, nothing that you really should worry about: Your doctor opens up your unique body geometry back up file, selects the exact specs on the missing body part and prints out a brand new ear which is virtually identical to the one you just lost. This may well be the future of organ and body-part replacement technologies produced by the latest breakthroughs in reconstructive medicine and bio-printing. Sounds far-fetched? Well, here are some videos in support of that claim. [...]

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Regenerative Medicine on TEDMED

by Socrates
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Dr. Anthony Atala from the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in an amazing video demonstrating the promise of regenerative medicine in general and artificially grown organs, in particular. Here is the timeline description of the video as posted by Singularity Hub. 1:46 – Atala alerts the audience to the scope of the problems with organ transplants and limited organs. Starting with the quote from above. 2:28 – An interesting time-elapsed video of a salamander regrowing a fore-limb. 3:55 – Biomaterials can act as a bridge to encourage tissue growth over damaged areas or gaps. The bridge length, however, is limited to about 1 cm. 5:15 – Using cells that are cultured outside the body, Atala can take an artificial scaffold and create a new organ. 6:20 – Atala uses a bio-reactor to exercise and condition muscle tissue before it [...]

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The Man with a Cyborg Hand

by Socrates
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Scientists hail robotic hand ‘breakthrough’ A group of European scientists have successfully connected a robotic hand to an amputee, allowing him to feel sensations in the artificial limb, and control it by thought. During a month of experiments, the patient made complex movements using only his brain. It is being heralded as a scientific breakthrough. BBC News Report Isn’t that just another piece of evidence that we are witnessing biology being replaced by technology? What are the implications to the human race? Just when do we stop to be human? At what point does the human (world) become the cyborg (world)?

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An Artificial Heart

by Socrates

A new artificial heart developed in France could be the future for thousands of cardiac patients. The heart has an artificial skin which reduces the chances of transplant rejection and is expected to be available around 2012. The cyborgs are coming… but just when do we stop to be human and turn into machines?!…

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