Complex living-tissues can now be 3D printed in a few seconds

Bioprinting is a technique really similar to 3D printing and it allows scientists to build organs layer by layer. It's a process that takes days and doesn't permit to make free form shaped objects, but a new research published in Advanced Materials presents Volumetric Bioprinting, a new system which involves the use of stem cell suspended in hydrogel and lasers to create complex living tissue structures in a few seconds. Researchers at EPFL and University Medical Centre Utrecht state that this technique is appropriate for mass fabrication and have created tissues of considerable proportions as a heart valve, a meniscus and part of a femur.

Photo Credit: Alain Herzog EPFL