One of my roommates has undergone a kidney transplant last November. Due to this major surgery she has been asked to visit ‘De Doelen’ last week. Three healthcare projects performed by Erasmus MC and TU Delft have been presented. Her story inspired me to find out more about how technological innovations can change the healthcare sector.
In general, the healthcare is improving. Donating an organ is being less of a risk for the donor, compared to years ago. Machine perfusion is a new technique which is capable of transforming unsuitable organs, into organs suitable for donation. Due to this innovation doctors have a better understand of organs. Donor organs made by 3D printers is the next step in improving the healthcare sector with technology (Van Dantzig, 2023).
An example of donor organs made by 3D printers is Dr. Arturo Bonilla who implemented a 3D printed ear to a patient without one. To create this new ear the 3D printer used a small biopsy from the other ear. The 3D printer uses the cartilage cells from the biopsy to grow a new implant (Barber, 2023).
The 3D bioprinter is capable of two very innovative features. Firstly, the printer can place different types of cells in exact locations to construct a complex tissue. Secondly, the printer can integrate blood vessels. Those are needed in order deliver the oxygen and nutrients, without the organ cannot live (Barber, 2023).
Machine perfusion increases the use and knowledge of organs (Van Dantzig, 2023). The 3D bioprinter is capable of rebuilding a complex tissue and integrating blood vessels (Barber, 2023). These innovations combined could change the healthcare sector. Due to the innovations, time on the donor waiting list could be shorter. The change of organs which are rejected by the body could also be reduced. The organs are made from biopsy from the own body.
References
Barber, C. (2023, February 16). 3D-printed organs may soon be a reality. ‘Looking ahead, we’ll not need donor hearts.’ Fortune Well. https://fortune.com/well/2023/02/15/3d-printed-organs-may-soon-be-a-reality/
Van Dantzig, E. (2023, September 19). Organen uit de 3D-printer? Hier hoor je de nieuwste wetenschappelijke feitjes – Indebuurt Rotterdam. Indebuurt Rotterdam. Https://indebuurt.nl/rotterdam/doen/organen-uit-de-3d-printer-hier-hoor-je-de-nieuwste-wetenschappelijke-feitjes~320196/
I really like your explanation of the subject, I share your thought that technological innovations like the one you mentioned hold great promise for the future of the healthcare sector. I agree that 3D printing organs is a remarkable process that has the potential to improve the organ transplant process significantly, though I think we must consider the feasibility of this process and the challenges that might arise. I think the scalability and cost-effectiveness of 3D printing organs might be key factors in letting this concept succeed. Furthermore, it is very difficult to speculate about the durability and long-term effects of this technique, I think it might take some time to get a good view of the consequences. The technology you present is indeed very promising, but I think it might take a while before it will be accessible to the world.
Dear Wobbe, thank you for your comment. I completely agree with you that this innovation might take long to be accessible. However, we have seen that some innovations adopt very fast. Lets hope that this is the case for 3D organs as well…
It’s really great to see how technological innovations are helping the healthcare sector, making a possible impact on people’s lives. The advancements discussed can be really interesting in the future with the ongoing shortage of organ donors. The reduced risk for organ donors and the ability to transform unsuitable organs into new options are great for the field of organ transplantation. The concept of 3D-printed donor organs is really revolutionary. What I think is most exciting is the potential for these innovations to reduce waiting times for organ transplants also while minimising the chance of organ rejection. The fact that these organs can be created using a patient’s own cells from a biopsy is a game-changer in itself. Hopefully they can use this more in the future !