Here are seven key notes:
1. Aided by developments in 3D bioprinting, human cells can be used to facilitate the development of cartilage, which may have the ability to outperform human ears, according to the article.
2. Lawrence Bonossar, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., outlines the 3D-printed human ear in this video.
3. The ink used in the printer is made of live cells, and so is the prosthetic it creates.
4 3D bioprinting allows researchers to build the ear out of cartilage on a hyrdogel scaffolding.
5. One primary experiment was successful in developing methods for the assimilation of electronics and tissue into a functioning organ.
6. Dr. Bonossar, in the video, states that his long-term goals “are to change the way clinicians practice; to give them the next generation of implants that will be more successful, more like real tissue, that will last in the body for decades.”
7. The bionic ear also has the ability to convert frequencies outside human hearing ranges into ones we can hear, in addition to receiving already-audible frequencies for humans.
More articles on healthcare:
5 notes on how Hilary Clinton, Jeb Bush might handle Supreme Court ruling
PCPs seeing more Medicaid or newly insured patients — 5 key notes
25 things to know about AmSurg
