Soon, medical science will be able to 3D print organs. The ability to print up new, living versions to replace the damaged ones in your body are going to be a common thing. Aside from organs, scientists are experimenting with 3D printed retina cells too that could someday aid in curing many kinds of blindness.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have managed to printed live central nervous system cells for the very first time. The project was led by professor Keith Martin, and they were able to print viable retina cells using an inkjet printer.


They were able to print a layer of retinal ganglion cells and then a layer of glial cells on top of them. The researchers proved that eyes and its internal structures could someday be 3D printed for surgical purposes.
"Effectively you can fire these cells at about 30 miles per hour and they survive that perfectly well, [which] was a real surprise to us because we didn't expect the cells to be able to survive being fired out of a cannon."
The research was done on lab rats, so human trials are still a long way off. However, the team believes that their process will be capable of 3D printing retinal grafts tailored for individual patients in the future.

The process could also lead to other neural repair surgeries, possibly even including damaged nerve cells and spinal chord injuries.

[IOPScience, via Dezeen Image Credit: NDJ News]