3D Bioprinting and Its Applications

Printing has always had life-changing effects on society. The first printing press allowed information to be spread to large numbers of citizens and thus lead to the development of intelligence, in a similar way to how the internet contributes nowadays to the spread of information to the population of the world. It contributed to spreading literacy and thus to the evolution of society.

But the printing technology itself has developed throughout the centuries so that we can now 3D print a wide variety of materials. Organic tissue printing may be one of the most revolutionary types of printing, due to its life-saving effects, if we think about organ printing, but also due to the fact that it may change the relationship of people with food forever. Bioprinting has posed some issues, due to factors such as bioactive ligands, poor biocompatibility, or toxic degradation products, but the technology is being improved every day and we can now buy food printers at prices ranging between $1000 and $5000 for our kitchen at home.

Organ and Tissue Printing for Medical Purposes

The benefits of organ printing are huge, considering the long waiting times some patients have to endure, to find a proper donor, as well as the danger of organ rejection by the patient's body. It can save many lives and improve the life quality of people who suffer from incurable diseases. The immunosuppressive drugs will no longer be necessary because printing uses the patient's own cells.

Imagine that victims of traffic accidents could have their lost limbs replaced with printed limbs. The victims of Ukraine was who were mutilated by bomb explosions could be helped, by 3D printing their lost limbs.

Tissue printing can also save the lives of animals and eliminate the abuse to which animals in research labs are submitted. Drugs and cosmetics no longer need to be tested on animals, because printed tissues will be better models for lab tests and will also decrease the testing costs.

Another benefit of printing is cancer research. Bioprinting tumor cells allows scientists to research cancer dynamics, find new treatment methods and create personalized anticancer drugs.

Bioprinting will also allow the individualization of medication, according to each patient's needs because it would allow the creation of personalized drugs, that fit the genetic characteristics of each patient.

3D Organic Tissue Printing in the Food Industry

Everybody has heard about the cruelty-free meat solutions, offered by the 3D steak printing method. Slaughtering poor animals will no longer be necessary, once this method will become a rule for meat production. It will eliminate the torture to which animals are submitted in slaughterhouses. It is possible to use plant-based materials for printing stake, and they imitate the texture and taste of real meat.

Food printing can be a very healthy alternative to traditional food, since it uses healthy ingredients such as proteins from algae, insects, or leaves to create a wide range of tasty foods.

This method will revolutionize the cuisine arts, allowing anyone to easily create computer-designed customized foods, having a great variety of tastes, colors, shapes, or nutritious values. You can practically use your computer to design the food you like, and your printer will create it for you.

The kitchen of the future will look totally different, due to this technological development. No more stoves or microwave ovens. No more smoke or unpleasant smells from the kitchen. A simple 3D printer will solve all those problems and also help reduce costs and save time. In an instant, you can create your dream food with the touch of a button. And if you have an intelligent house, you can simply order from your living room what your 3D printer will create in the kitchen, while a household robot will lay the table and bring the food for you. This will allow you to spend more time with your family and friends and enjoy life in an intelligent world.

Even the restaurants of the future will look totally different. Imagine a restaurant, where the customers will use a tablet to design the food they want to order, while a robot waiter will bring that food to the table. And the payment will be done with the simple touch of the hand, via a chip implanted into the right hand of the customer.