Prognosis
Israeli Researchers Print 3D Heart Using Patient’s Own Cells
- Small, rabbit-sized hearts of bio-ink printed in Tel Aviv lab
- Technology holds out hope of patches to combat heart disease
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Israeli researchers have printed a 3D heart using a patient’s own cells, something they say could be used to patch diseased hearts -- and possibly, for full transplants.
The heart the Tel Aviv University team printed in about three hours is too small for humans -- about 2.5 centimeters, or the size of a rabbit’s heart. But it’s the first to be printed with all blood vessels, ventricles and chambers, using an ink made from the patient’s own biological materials.