Forget harvesting, let’s make organs

28 Medical Tourism Jan - Mar 2020 The success of a new medical innovation is determined largely by two factors: the effectiveness of the treatment, and its availability to the masses. Compared to conventional treatment methods where an organ is received from another donor, treatment methods using 3D printing technology are far more effective, says Dr.Santhosh Alex

3D printing is not a new technology. First created in the 1980s, it converts 2D designs into 3D objects by layering multiple sheets on top of one another. This technology has been used before in the medical field to create custom prostheses made of inorganic materials, such as titanium or aluminum.

The idea of 3D printing human organs — a group of tissues that perform a specific function — is a relatively new concept. Although it may present certain ethical dilemmas, the use of 3D printing technology to create new organs will likely be beneficial, providing not only an increased availability of organs for patients in need, but also a more effective treatment than conventional transplants.

The success of a new medical innovation is determined largely by two factors: the effectiveness of the treatment, and its availability to the masses. Compared to conventional treatment methods where an organ is received from another donor, treatment methods using 3D printing technology are far more effective. Because the transplant is autologous — the cells are from the patients themselves — the body’s immune system is less likely to attack and destroy the 3D printed transplant. 3D printing also lends customization to the patient’s treatment.

For example, Cornell University biomedical engineers and physicians created an ear by 3D printing personalized casts and filling it with collagen and cartilage to treat children with microtia, or an underdeveloped outer ear. The ordinary treatment is painful and involves harvesting cartilage from the ribs and manually forming an ear.

3D printing for producing artificial organs has been a major topic of study in biological engineering. As the rapid manufacturing techniques entailed by 3D printing became increasingly efficient, their applicability in artificial organ synthesis has gained currency. Some of the primary benefits of 3D printing lie in its efficiency for mass-production of scaffold structures, as well as the high degree of anatomical precision in scaffold products. The constructs thus made effectively resemble the microstructure of a natural organ or tissue structure.

Currently in the United States, over 110,000 people require a lifesaving organ transplant, but only around 33,000 patients received one within 2018. In 2016, over 7,000 candidates died waiting for an organ donation. These statistics highlight the desperate need for readily available organs — a need that can be met through 3D printing.

Organ printing using 3D printing can be conducted using a variety of techniques, such as Dropbased Bioprinting(Inject) and Extrusion Bioprinting,each of which delivers specific advantages suited to specific types of organ production.

Further, 3D printing leads to increased availability of organs. This increase in organ supply will likely cause a drop in prices. Historically, the first models of a product have always been expensive; however, after a technology is well developed, prices drop significantly. For this reason, transplant treatment will eventually become viable for much of the public and not just the affluent.

Despite these numerous benefits, critics claim that ethical dilemmas make 3D printing methods impractical, alluding to the possibility of artificially enhanced super humans being created, and even cloning. The chances of these outcomes are remote and highly situational. When the 3D printing of organs does emerge, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will scrutinize the technology and regulate its use to prevent the aforementioned situations from occurring. More importantly, it is a blatant injustice to prevent access to medical treatment for those in need simply because a few have apprehensions over it.

Evidently, use of 3D printing technology for the creation of organs should be advocated because it will serve as a favourable advanced treatment compared to the ordinary organ transplant methods. It will soon become a viable option for much of the public as well. As long as responsible usage is maintained through government regulations, it behoves the medical community to facilitate the development of 3D printing technology. In the face of change, the human propensity for fear is great — but our propensity for development and progress should beeven greater.

Dr.Santhosh Alex (Consultant Physician, Dept. of Emergency Medicine, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Jamaica, New York)

EXCLUSIVE HI-TECH UROLOGY AND RENAL TRANSPLANTAION CENTER

3D Robotised Lap Donor Nephrectomy

No incision/Natural Orifice DonorNephrectomy For Females (NOTES)

Single Port Donor Nephrectomy

7034 11 4333 7593 00 9900 0495 661 5555 (30 lines)

Thondayad Bypass, Near HI Lite Mall, Kozhikode, Kerala, India 673014