Japan researches regenerating human ears with 3D printer

The Kyoto University and Tokyo University Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPS) Research Center announced on July 27 that they will begin research on regenerating human ears this fall. Scientists will use 3D printers to “mold” the complex structure of the ear cartilage in the human body.

If successful, this research will create a medical revolution in which organs in the human body can be completely replaced by copies of themselves in the future.

(Source: nih.gov)

The goal of the research is to be able to implant artificial ears for people with congenital ear defects within the next 10 years. This is the first time in the world that scientists have simultaneously applied two of the most advanced technologies today: iPS and 3D printing.

Normally, patients will have their ears implanted from cartilage taken from another location on the patient's body, but once iPS technology and 3D printing are put into practice, it will help significantly reduce treatment costs for patients.

The research, funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JSTA), was led by a team of professors Noriyuki Tsumaki, an iPS cell expert at Kyoto University, and Tsuyoshi Takato, a bone and cartilage surgeon at the University of Tokyo. The team aims to conduct clinical trials on patients with congenital microtia.

The current implant technique for patients with small ears is to take a part of the patient's rib cartilage and then shape the bone for implantation, but the current technique cannot simulate the detailed structure of the ear cartilage at the cellular structural level. In addition, the implanted rib cartilage also has the risk of deformation.

The notable point of this study is the use of 3D printers to create stereoscopic objects not only in industry but also in the medical field. In clinical research, doctors will take CT scans of the patient's normal ear and input data on the cartilage structure into the 3D printer.

Next, the 3D printer will create the ear cartilage using a synthetic material (polylactic acid polymer). Once the “frame” is completed, cartilage cells created from iPS cells will be poured into this frame to regenerate the ear and then implanted into the opposite side of the defective ear.

Japan on July 19 approved iPS cell technology for clinical research for the first time in the world, raising hopes about the potential of regenerative medicine.

To regenerate an organ or part of the body with a stereoscopic structure, scientists need to restore its original “structural” state to the cellular level so that the organ can function long-term as part of the human body.

Professor Tsumaki affirmed: "From now on, the use of 3D printers to apply iPS cell technology to help regenerate ears and internal organs will increase rapidly"./.

According to (Vietnam+) - VT