This is fucking fascinating. I knew it was coming but wasn’t sure when. Clinical in five years ok – that’s good. Think about it though. I’ve known for some time we’ve been able to 3D print the hollow organs like esophagus, bladder etc. But tissue with blood vessels has been the holy grail.

Not anymore. So with this technology we can print kidneys, livers, pancreas, lungs – and the heart may be next. And since they’re grown from a patients own cells there’s no risk of rejection. I’d say tech like this will tack 30 to 50 years of additional life to all of us.

In fact I’ve posted before on what extended lifetimes would mean. The pressure to have children when you’re young could potentially be pushed off until your in your 70’s. Imagine that.

Technology is catching up with the fiction. If you read any of the Heinlein books you know that Rejuvination Clinics are a common item in them. And they expect the market for this to jump from $23 Billion in 2015 to $94 Billion by 2020. This presents a good investment opportunity I’d say. And it will be a game changer for medicine. No more will we lose 4,000 or more people per year due to organ failure. That’s one I can think of off the cuff.

Just think what more could we 3D print? Arms? Legs? Eyes? The list is endless.

Had only this technology been available back in 1992 perhaps we could have saved my Uncle – he died from Cirrhosis of the Liver at age 42. So sad he’s gone but glad that in the future they can just grow a new liver for someone and it’ll save thousands of lives.