3D bioprinting can help end organ transplant wait lists — if the FDA stops delaying

This technology looks more promising by the day. Fifteen years ago, Anthony Atala and his team at Wake Forest University made history by successfully transplanting a lab-grown human bladder into a patient. A new documentary called “They Say It Can’t Be Done” highlights the real-world impact of this technology. The film features Luke Massella, one of the first people to receive a lab-grown human bladder. Atala’s invention allowed Massella to have a high school sports career, graduate, and attend college instead of remaining on dialysis for the rest of his life. More recently, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have found a way to bioprint full-scale components of the human heart. Last month, a team at Lund University in Sweden announced a new “bioink” that can be used to print lung tissue. Scientists are eager to turn this cutting-edge research into tangible, widely available solutions. But they are running into regulatory barriers at the FDA.
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