3D Bio Printing in Healthcare Paper

Introduction

This paper is about 3D printing in healthcare. The specific focus of this paper shall be bioprinting with an emphasis on tissues, skin and organs. 3D bioprinting refers to the process of producing cell patterns that are controlled spatially. The cell patterns are generated using 3D technologies of printing. The cells that can be reproduced by using 3D bioprinting include the skin, internal organs, and tissues. 3D Bio Printing in Healthcare Paper

History of 3D Bio Printing
3D printing was originally referred to as additive manufacturing as an addition to the traditional two-dimensional printing. Three-dimensional printing can be traced to the year 1976. It was a conception adapted from the inkjet printer with advancements in methods of printing.
In the nineteen nineties, three-dimensional bioprinting was used to bring advances in the field of medicine by carrying out augmentation in the urinary bladder. To do this, the doctors used a three-dimensional scaffold (synthetic) coated with the cells of the patients. The fact that the engineered organs are developed from the patient’s own cells, the risk of rejection is dealt with (Hong et al., 2013) 3D Bio Printing in Healthcare Paper

In the year 2002, there was a further contribution to the field of three-dimensional bioprinting. Scientists were able to reproduce a kidney that was able to carry out functions such as filtering produce and blood that had been diluted in an animals’ urine. This development of printing or reproducing a kidney was really revolutionary and led to further research in the area. In 2008, there was a major breakthrough in the field of bioprinting in healthcare. The first three-dimensional prosthetics was replicated. The replica was in the same complex structure of a human foot. In 2009, the first blood vessel was replicated using three-dimensional technologies. This saw a shift from three-dimensional technologies being used purely on cells to even blood vessels. In the year 2012, a lower jaw was printed in Netherlands using three-dimensional technologies (Feng et al., 2011).

Current State of 3D Bio Printing in Healthcare
Three-dimensional bioprinting can be said to be a relatively new practice in the field of medicine. Scientists and other healthcare professionals are still carrying out numerous researches on the matter. Every part of the world is concerned with the development of three-dimensional bioprinting and what it could mean for the healthcare profession. 3D Bio Printing in Healthcare Paper