PREVIEW

Ear we go! Scientists 3D print the most true-to-life human ear to date. Researchers in Switzerland have 3D-printed the most true-to-life human ear yet created in a laboratory using patients’ own cartilage cells. For more than three decades, scientists have been trying to produce a functional ear from living tissue. In 2016, a team led by ETH professor Marcy Zenobi-Wong attracted international attention after creating a 3D-printed ear. However, though aesthetically similar, the ear lacked some of the properties and flexibilities of our own. Now, researchers from ETH Zurich, the Friedrich Miescher Institute and the Cantonal Hospital of Lucerne say they have moved an important step closer to replicating the properties of a natural ear. Using human ear cartilage cells, the team has produced elastic cartilage in the laboratory with mechanical characteristics similar to those of real tissue. In animal tests, the engineered cartilage retained its shape and elasticity after six weeks. The work could have important implications for people who lose part or all of an ear as a result of accidents or fires, as well as for children born with congenital malformations of the outer ear. To create the cartilage, the team extracted cells from small remnants removed during routine ear-correction surgeries. The cells were therefore multiplied in the laboratory using a nutrient-rich solution and a specially designed culture environment to ensure even growth. The expanded cells were then embedded in a gel-like “bioink” and shaped into ears using a 3D printer. The ears were matured in an incubator for several weeks, allowing the tissue to strengthen. Further clinical studies and regulatory approvals would then be required before lab-grown ears could be used in routine medical practice.
Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT