Tissue Engineering: The Short- And Long-Term Benefits Of Bioprinting

Imagine being able to create living tissue, bone, blood vessels or even entire organs whenever you needed them for medical procedures or laboratory testing. Thanks to 3D bioprinting, scientists can now physically reproduce biological matter.

3D bioprinting works with cellular bioinks, which are sometimes combined with substances, to provide structure or to fulfill any other needs. The inks are then printed into permeable supports, that facilitate anchoring without the need for scaffolding.

Given its speed and potential, could 3D bioprinting become the next big thing in medicine? Many thought leaders think so, and they posit that 3D bioprinting could bring value in the short term and over the long haul.