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Li, P.H. (2014). 3D Bioprinting Technologies: Patents, Innovation and Access. Law, Innovation &  Technology, 6(2), 282-304. Retrieved from: http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=ab861951-8dcc-4197-b644-387197a22c78%40sessionmgr4002&vid=2&hid=4102

Mahmoud, A., & Bennett, M. (2015). Introducing 3-Dimensioal Printing of a Human Anatomic Pathology Specimen. Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, 139(8), 1048-1051 4p. doi:10.5858/arpa.2014-0408-OA. Retrieved from: http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8ff74f08-8a37-4d9a-a9fe-5a12e573b34d%40sessionmgr4001&vid=2&hid=4102

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3D Printing Blog: Tutorials, News, Trends and Resources | Sculpteo

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Bioprinting is among the most mind-blowing and promising uses of 3D printing. It is now possible to use 3D printers to print cells that can multiply into actual fully printed tissues used in medical research... and to create organs. In his two TED talks, surgeon Anthony Atala demonstrates an early-stage experiment.

Watch these two incredible talks by Anthony Atala: Printing a human kidney, Growing new organs. Chemist Lee Cronin presented its research in 3D printing molecules and creating new medicines: Print your own medicine.

3D Bioprinting company Organovo and Printerinks created this neat infographics on BioPrinting. It explains pretty clearly how 3D bioprinting works:

On the makers' side, a clever team at BioCurious hackerspace posted this very interesting tutorial on Instructables on how to make your own DIY BioPrinter from old hard drives and an inkjet 2D printer.
Feature Picture Credit: Christopher Barnatt, ExplainingtheFuture.com

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3D printing molecules and creating new medicines

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Bioprinting is among the most mind-blowing and promising uses of 3D printing. It is now possible to use 3D printers to print cells that can multiply into actual fully printed tissues used in medical research... and to create organs. In his two TED talks, surgeon Anthony Atala demonstrates an early-stage experiment.

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A young team has developed a new method -- and new hardware -- for bioprinting

Global competition to perfect and patent 3D printing-based medical technology has only intensified of late, its products ranging from printed lightweight casts to body parts; participants include institutions of all sizes, and - since biotech hackers BioCurious kindly released instructions for assembling a DIY bioprinter - even amateurs. In the fight to treat burns and lesions with 3D-printed skin, the US Army has revealed itself as a major contender; as a result of a recent international competition, however, an award-winning Canadian team has just entered the ring.

University of Toronto engineering students Arianna McAllister and Lian Leng took first prize in the Canadian leg of the 2014 James Dyson Awards program with their PrintAlive Bioprinter, receiving a $3,500 prize and the chance to compete internationally with teams from 18 countries for $50,000 more. The James Dyson Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to "encouraging young people" in the engineering and scientific fields, uses its annual award program to feature students' "industrial or product designs that solve a problem."

The problem addressed by the Toronto team is twofold: firstly, that severe burns often cause damage to both the epidermis and the dermis (the outer and inner skin layers, respectively), which contain different cells and cell structures and therefore require specialized treatments. In such cases, Leng tells CBC news, "It's very difficult for the body to regenerate itself." Being able to close these wounds quickly, she added, is paramount to preventing fatalities. The second issue the team tackled was the need to produce flexible, skin-like materials with 3D printers which would survive grafting procedures; conventional 3D printers, they found, work best with harder materials, and have been unable to structure usable skin grafts involving complex layering of different cells needing different environments.

With the help of Boyang Zhang, a recent PhD, Axel Guenther, an associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at the University of Toronto, and burn surgeon Dr. Marc Jeschke, the students worked to develop a new kind of printer cartridge. Their special cartridge contains "tiny channels filled with skin cells and the liquid environment they require." Prior to printing, the epidermal and dermal cells, "along with their specialized liquid, are kept in two different channels," the CBC explained. During printing, each layer of artificial skin is dispensed as a liquid into yet another liquid, which causes it to solidify into a gel. The two solidified layers are then printed together, one on top of the other, to generate a biodegradable dressing containing the skin cells needed to treat deep skin wounds.

To date, the team's 3D-printed grafts of human skin have helped immune-compromised mice with wound healing. The team hopes to work with larger grafts in pigs soon, and to begin human clinical trials within two to three years. This summer, the US Army reported that its researchers would soon begin clinical trials to test its own skin-printing technology. It remains to be seen, however, whether or not this Canadian team will beat them to the punch.
University of Toronto

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3D Printing Skin Grafts to Heal Burns - PSFK

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A young team has developed a new method -- and new hardware -- for bioprinting Global competition to perfect and patent 3D printing-based medical technology has only intensified of late, its products ranging from printed lightweight casts to body parts; participants include institutions of all sizes, and - since biotech hackers BioCurious kindly released instructions for assembling a DIY bioprinter - even amateurs.

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Organ Bioprinting

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Catalyst: Organ Bioprinting - ABC TV Science

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Researchers are growing artificial body parts and printing human tissue from the cells of their patients

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In my opinion, this is an area of research study that deserves more time and attention. Although the idea of “printing” an organ sound Sci-Fi, realistically with technology, the idea is becoming a reality. The benefits of making an organ for someone on a transplant list is great. The days of long transplant waiting lists and a person having to die or be in a tragic accident before organs can be donated are becoming a thing of the past. I can’t wait to hear about someone getting another chance at life because they have been given a heart transplant that was created specifically for them.

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The questionable use of viable biological material as bioink sourced from human/animal cells or human embryonic stem cells. (Researchers are pursuing Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells’ technology or collect adult stem cells for producing pluripotent stem cells to bypass the destruction of human embryos)

At this stage,questions being raised to if this is an essential technology or a luxury commodity in the market

Current limitations of 3-dimensionally printed models include limited print size according to the 3D printer capacity

The time required for assembly and maturation of a perfused vascular network throughout the entire tissue construct may be longer than the cell survival time

No long term studies of positive results

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Has the benefit of saving lives and alleviating the demand for donor organs

Printing with autologous cells will prevent tissue and organ transplantation rejection

Reducing illegal trade of human organs

Life extension

Animal-free drug and vaccine testing

Opens doors to regenerative medicine and tissue engineering

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Mahmoud and Bennett (2015) describe three-dimensional (3D) printing, as a rapidly advancing technology widely applied in fields such as mechanical engineering and architecture. Three-dimensional printing has been introduced recently into medical practice in areas such as reconstructive surgery, as well as in clinical research. 3D printing has been used to repair and print spare parts of objects; and the practice has now been extended to repair and reproduce human cells, tissues and body parts.  This recent breakthrough in biotechnology appears to be the realization of what seemed like an impossible dream—human tissues and organs can be reprinted in situ and on demand. (Li, 2014)

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3D Bioprinting Technologies: Patents, Innovation and Access

Phoebe H Li, 2014