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Running head: 3D HUMAN HEART PRINTING TECHNOLOGY
3D Human Heart Printing Technology
Dorette Smith
New York City College of Technology
SOC 2401
Instructor Dr. Diana Mincyte
May 15, 2016
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Introduction and overview of the 3D printing of human heart
The 3D human heart printing is significant medical development owing to the possibility
of personalization and customization of the heart generated. This means that there is a possibility
of manufacturing medical equipment and products that are customized for explicit medical
applications such as customized implants. Besides, the 3D printing technology ensures increased
efficiency of the cost in the generation of the hearts. The surgical elements and prosthetics,
simulations, and implants that are necessary for various body parts such as craniofacial disorders
are very cost-effective when done using the 3D printing technology. This paper examines the
development of 3D printing in the medical world today, its future implications, how it is
different from the other similar procedures, and the criticisms put forward by most researchers.
Difference between 3D human heart printing and other similar developments
The 3D human heart-printing technology involves intensive research on stem cell
therapy, genomics, and this advantageous in situations where standardized medication does not
offer perfect benefits. The current research is different from the other studies because it focuses
specifically on the use of 3D printing technology in the development of the human heart. Most
studies conducted revolve around orthopedic medication that seeks to develop artificial bones for
human body due to cancerous infections. For a long time, the doctors have been skeptical about
the application of laser-sintering techniques and other forms of 3D printing in the development
of the human heart. However, with the rising cases of heart infections, there has been increased
the need for extensive research in this particular area.
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Importance of 3D printing of human heart to the future generation
Once the research on 3D human heart printing is complete, there will be decreased
fatalities that rise from the common heart infections and other cardiovascular complications.
Today, most patients suffering from cardiovascular conditions cannot meet the financial burden
that comes with the surgical procedures due to economic hardships. The implication, therefore, is
that only the rich members of the society can afford a heart transplant quicker. On the other
hand, a heart transplant is a very risky medical procedure even though it is a life-saving remedy.
The likelihood of the transplanted heart functioning properly is less than 30 percent. What it
means is that there are limited chances of surviving the procedure due to grafting dysfunction.
Another challenge is that the heart donated by a person who has died may be rejected.
Additionally, getting a donor might be a difficult task and a long wait period. However, with the
development of 3D heart printing technology, these problems will be alleviated and many
patients will benefit.
The criticisms towards the 3D technology
Other than the benefits that accrue due to the implementation of 3D human heart printing
technology in the medical world today, there are certain criticisms raised. To start with, there are
criticisms concerning the advancement of personalized medicine with regard to affordability.
The argument is that such development in personalized medicine result to health disparities
between the poor and rich. The implication of introducing such form of treatment implies
additional costs incurred to access better health care and are thus discriminative. The research
carried out about personalized medicine is quite expensive since it revolves around stem cell
therapies and genomics. The time and cost necessary to generate a succession of different sizes
of customized prostheses for children are expressly prohibitive. The challenge of replacing a
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damaged heart is common in cases where the patients are young and still undergoing growth and
development. With the evolution of 3D printing, heart problems correction will not be expensive
and time-consuming as has been seen in the past.
Another criticism is concerning the safety of the treatment using 3D printing. Safety is an
ethical concern, and the critics express concern over the safety of the treatment approaches using
the 3D printing in corrective clinical medicine. The only area where the 3D human organ
printing application that has been tested and proven is the orthopedic surgery using titanium to
model the human bones. One of the challenges facing the application of 3D human heart printing
is the idea of synchronizing the heart valves with the heartbeat even though the researchers
worked on the ways of correcting the structure of the aortic valve. The explanation for the
challenge is that the whole heart is missing, and consequently, the aortic valve cannot execute
the routine operation of closing and opening on its own. In order to subdue this barrier, the
researchers came up with a simulation of a heart that can carry on with the process of beating.
The simulated heart was then used to test the valve of the aortic heart to access whether it can
close and open like a normal heart. However, by combining the derived and stem cell lines, a
functioning heart organ can be developed to replace a damaged human heart.
Discussion
In the present times, a number of research exercises have been dedicated to the process of
developing soft organ body tissues by employing 3D bioprinting technology. More specifically,
there is a tremendous progress going on in coming up with 3D bioprinting human heart. The
rationale for such intensive research is that human beings continue to face varying cardiovascular
challenges that are expensive and difficult to correct. Besides, human heart transplanting is one
of the most expensive medical procedures in the world and requires high skills to execute.
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According to Brown (2016), the scientists at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
succeeded in generating a cartilage tissue of the ear for a mouse in their lab. This is indeed a big
stride in the 3D printing journey and marks the beginning of a tremendous innovation. This
development follows that of a Missouri professor who succeeded in printing out 3D chicken
hearts back in 2007. Before these inventions, the 3D printed tissues did not live long enough due
to lack of strong and big structures to support the printed tissue. According to Gilpin, and Hiner
(2016), great strides are being made at the University of Louisville by one of the interns in
respect of 3D bioprinting of the human organ tissues. A team of students, technicians,
researchers and doctors at the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute (CII) are in the process of
generating biomaterials using a BioAssembly Tool (BAT) in Kentucky, located at the
Muhammad Ali Boulevard in Louisville.
Mironov, Boland, Trusk, Forgacs, and Markwald (2003) explain that the technology of
tissue engineering is capable of solving the crisis of organ transplantation. The authors, however,
note that the biggest challenge facing the technology is the process of involved in assembling the
soft vascularized body organs in the 3D form. There are three steps involved in soft organ 3D
printing. The first one is the development or pre-processing of the soft human organs commonly
called blueprints. The second step involves the actual printing of the organ through processing.
The last step is organ conditioning or post-processing where the printed organ undergoes
maturation through an accelerated process. Hockaday et al. (2012) argue that the aortic valve
displays a complicated 3D heterogeneity and anatomy necessary for a long-lasting and efficient
biomechanical operation. The authors, however, express that some challenges face the
prototyping of a human living tissue that executes reliable and effective valve operation. In the
conclusion, the authors cite that a 3D printing that involves a regulated photocrosslinking is
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capable of swiftly fabricating the human heart heterogeneous valve that can aid the process of
cell engraftment. Another challenge identified is the idea of synchronizing the valve with the
heartbeat even though the structure reason being that the entire heart is removed therefore the
aortic valve has difficulty performing the routine task of opening and closing in an attempt to
overcome this a simulation of a heart that is beating is constructed and it is used to test the aortic
valve.
Duan, Hockaday, Kang, and Butcher (2012) argue that heart disease continues to be a
growing and severe health problem since it requires the replacement of prostheses. Children and
younger adults face a common challenge of inadequate prosthetic devices today. The good news
is that through tissue engineering, there is the possibility of growth, regeneration, and remodeling
of the living aortic valves.According to the authors, the challenge, however, is the fabrication of
the natural anatomical intricacy by the use of cellular heterogeneity. The authors further cite that
it is possible to bioprint the aortic valve conduits using direct encapsulation of the leaflet
interstitial cells in the leaflets and smooth muscle cells in the valve roots using a culture within
gelatin/alginate hydrogel discs. Rengier et al. (2010) say that rapid prototyping can find its way
in the medical application in a scenario where there is a need for prosthetics and particularized
surgical planning. Rapid prototyping has a great potential for the growth of new medical
applications. Lueders, Jastram, Hetzer, and Schwandt (2014) argue that tissue engineering as a
method of 3D printing technology can assist in fabricating human heart valve gallows. The
valves can be made using polymers of different thermal properties. A selective 3D bioprinting
laser-sintering device can be used to fabricate the human heart valve for successive seeding.
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Conclusion
In summary, the culmination of the ongoing research 3D human heart printing will lead
to significant reduction in the fatalities that result from the cardiovascular complications, some of
which require complex and expensive surgical procedures such as heart transplant. The
technology will make the procedure to be affordable to most people. However, the research
being taken on the topic continues to solicit criticism in terms of the ethical considerations such
as safety of the patient after the procedure.
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References
1. Brown, K. (2016). How Close Are We to a 3D-printed Human Heart? Fusion. Retrieved 17
April 2016, from http://fusion.net/story/269559/3d-printed-organs-can-live-in-animals/
In this article, the author explains the various ways that scientists have succeeded in
bioprinting of living tissues such as kidneys, and livers which will help those patients
who are on waiting lists for organs. The organs are made with the patient’s own cells so
as to reduce the chance of rejection The author also explained that researchers have
successfully printed muscle structures , bone and ear cartilage and that bone implants
printed with human cells were able to trigger blood vessels.
2. Duan, B., Hockaday, L., Kang, K., & Butcher, J. (2012). 3D Bioprinting of heterogeneous
aortic valve conduits with alginate/gelatin hydrogels. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research
Part A, 101A (5), 1255-1264. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jbm.a.34420
The authors explains that heart disease continues to be a growing and severe health
problem and that through tissue engineering, there is the possibility of growth,
regeneration, and remodeling of the living aortic valves. The authors are the fabrication
of the natural anatomical intricacy by the use of cellular heterogeneity. The authors
further cite that it is possible to bioprint the aortic valve conduits using direct
encapsulation of the leaflet interstitial cells in the leaflets and smooth muscle cells
3. Gilpin, L., & Hiner, J. (2016). 3D bioprinter to reproduce human organs, change the face of
healthcare: The inside story - TechRepublic. TechRepublic. Retrieved 17 April 2016,
from http://www.techrepublic.com/article/new-3d-bioprinter-to-reproduce-humanorgans/
The authors of this article cites the development of a BioAssembly Tool (BAT)
3D HUMAN HEART PRINTING TECHNOLOGY
which is a glass enclosed machine used for 3D printing of biomaterials
the use of the printer and the challenges it presents. The problem with the printer is that
it does not handle curves well and printing is a very slow process. One of the benefits is
that researchers are able to manipulate 3D organs and tissues which enable them to
diagnose and treat patients
4. Hockaday, L., Kang, K., Colangelo, N., Cheung, P., Duan, B., & Malone, E. et al. (2012).
Rapid 3D printing of anatomically accurate and mechanically heterogeneous aortic valve
hydrogel scaffolds.Biofabrication, 4(3), 035005. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/17585082/4/3/035005
5. Lueders, C., Jastram, B., Hetzer, R., & Schwandt, H. (2014). Rapid manufacturing techniques
for the tissue engineering of human heart valves. European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic
Surgery, 46(4), 593-601. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ejcts/ezt510
The authors explain that tissue engineering as a method of 3D printing technology can
assist in fabricating human heart valve gallows. The valves can be made using polymers
of different thermal properties. A selective 3D bioprinting laser-sintering device can be
used to fabricate the human heart valve.
6. Mironov, V., Boland, T., Trusk, T., Forgacs, G., & Markwald, R. (2003). Organ printing:
computer-aided jet-based 3D tissue engineering. Trends in Biotechnology, 21(4), 157161. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0167-7799 (03)00033-7
The authors explain that the technology of tissue engineering is capable of solving the
crisis of organ transplantation and that the biggest challenge facing the technology is the
process of involved in assembling the soft vascularized body organs in the 3D form. The
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three steps explain that the technology of tissue engineering is capable of solving the
crisis of organ transplantation and the challenges in assembling the soft vascularized
body organs in the 3D form. The three steps of soft organ 3D printing. are explained
which involve pre processing, printing and maturation of the organs
7. Potkonjak, A., & Hartman, A. (2015). 3D Printing of Aortic Heart Valve Tissue in Patients
Suffering from Cardiovascular Disease. Retrieved from
http://136.142.82.187/eng12/Chair/pdf/5192.pdf
In this article, the author explains how 3D printing can be used in modeling the Aortic
Heart Valves. One of the challenges facing the doctor is the idea of synchronizing the
valves with the heartbeat although the doctor got the correct structure of the aortic valve.
The reason why this is a challenge is that the entire heart is missing and therefore, the
aortic valve cannot perform the routine task of closing and opening on its own. In an
attempt to overcome this barrier, a simulation of a heart that is beating is used to test that
valve of the aortic heart and a mechanical device that could aid in the closing and
opening of the valve. The simulation uses 3D printing technology.
8. Rengier, F., Mehndiratta, A., von Tengg-Kobligk, H., Zechmann, C., Unterhinninghofen, R.,
Kauczor, H., & Giesel, F. (2010). 3D printing based on imaging data: review of medical
applications. Int J CARS, 5(4), 335-341. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11548-010-0476-x
The authors of this article explains that rapid prototyping can find its way in the medical
application in a scenario where there is a need for prosthetics and particularized surgical
planning. Rapid prototyping has a great potential for the growth of new medical
applications.
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9. Morad, R. (2015, October 26). Hearts and Arteries Could Be 3D-Printed Cheaply. Retrieved
March 6, 2016, from http://news.discovery.com/tech/biotechnology/hearts-and-arteriescould-be-3d-printed-cheaply-151026.htm
In this article, the author cites step by step details of the creation and the materials used in
3 D printing of coronary arteries hearts and body parts, including the type, price and
convenience of printing on demand. The challenges of using some of the materials are
explained in detail, including a video presentation which demonstrates the 3 D printing
process and creation of body parts.
10. Andrews, R. (2015, October 26). Researchers Can Now 3D Print a Human Heart Using
Biological Material. Retrieved March 5, 2016, from http:/www.iflscience.com/health-andmedicine/human-heart-can-now-be-3d-printed-using-biological-material
The author presented information relative to 3 D Printing Technology and the
construction of various human organs including the heart. Various materials such as
fibrin and collagen which are used for the construction of these organs of the human heart
are identified, and the author presented the challenges and implications with detailed
solutions to the problems.
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