Organovo’s Bioprinter

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Via Singularity Hub, we learn that Organovo, which is recipient of a Methuselah Foundation grant, is close to releasing an early commercial bioprinter: "Need a new kidney? We'll just take some of your blood and in about six weeks grow you a new one. That's the promise of 3D bioprinting and one of the companies on the forefront of the technology just took a step closer to make it a reality. Organovo developed a research prototype of a bioprinter capable of producing very basic tissues like blood vessels. According to the recent press release, Invetech, Organovo's strategic partner, will be providing the company with commercial versions of their device in 2010 to 2011. While it is still limited to simple tissue structures (full organs are a long ways off), Organovo plans to deliver the printers to various research institutions interested in organ and tissue production." Once a concept becomes a software-driven machine, evolution and improvement tends to arrive rapidly. Ten years from now the prototypes will actually be printing complex organs.

Link: http://singularityhub.com/2009/12/03/organovo-has-its-first-commercial-3d-bioprinter/