MEDICAL

Scientists at the University of Buffalo are one step closer to 3D printing human organs. The new development uses stereolithography printers and hydrogels to create biological structures. Although nobody is going to be downloading new spleens from Thingiverse anytime soon, their technique overcomes some of the obstacles to making human replacement parts a reality. Speeding Up Biological Printing Stereolithography, or SLA, printing uses ultraviolet light to turn a photo-sensitive liquid resin into a solid plastic object. 3D bioprinting does the same thing using hydrogels to create a soft, hydrophilic lattice structure. This lattice acts as a scaffold for the cells,…