Scientists Can Now Manufacture a Human Pancreas Using 3D Printing and Stem Cells

Scientists have now successfully finished printing a 3D human Pancreas – a development that points the way toward new ways of replacing failing organs in human patients.

Celprogen, a California stem-cell research specialist, said that the 3D human Pancreas was created using a flexible Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) material scaffold that was populated with adult human pancreatic stem cells.

Scaffolds are materials that have been engineered to cause desirable cellular interactions to contribute to the formation of new functional tissues for medical purposes.

These 3D printed human pancreases were coated and seeded with human adult pancreatic stem cells.

This latest development is part of the 3D organ printing programs running at Celprogen, that identify potential future use in transplants of major organ systems.

At present Celprogen is validating the 3D human printed heart from flexible PLA, and also the pancreas.

In other words, the day may be coming when a whole range of human organs are simply manufactured for human use.