Robby Bowles, University of Utah (IMAGE)

University of Utah

Robby Bowles, University of Utah

Caption

University of Utah biomedical engineering assistant professor Robby Bowles and his team have developed a method to 3D print cells to produce human tissue such as ligaments and tendons to greatly improve a patient's recovery. A person with a badly damaged ligament, tendon, or ruptured disc could simply have new replacement tissue printed and ultimately implanted in the damaged area. The 3D printing method involves taking stem cells from the patient's own body fat and printing them on a layer of hydrogel to form a tendon or ligament which would later grow in vitro in a culture before being implanted.

Credit

Dan Hixson/University of Utah College of Engineering.

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