Bioprinting is the production of biological products by using industrialized manufacturing processes such as 3D printers, called bioprinters that use bioink, and other technologies. This trend is a sub-set of the 3D Printing trend but has its own unique set of drivers, aspects of its technology and applications. Some of the methods that are used for bioprinting of biologicals are photolithography, magnetic bioprinting, stereolithography, and direct cell extrusion. The process is somewhat complex but it basically involves building layers of cells and tissue to create a desired simulated biological object. You can view a video of one company's process here.
The three main areas advancing in this trend are:
- Production of materials to replace those obtained from animals. At this point, leather is the key product being produced.
- Production of meat alternatives. This is mainly for meat from animals whose normal raising process is resource intensive and considered unsustainable to produce for consumption by future larger populations. An example end product could be a steak.
- Medical biological components. Because there has been advancement on leather production, production of skin for skin grafts is one product already being developed. Researchers are also developing processes to create simulated biological organs for organ transplant and replacement as well.
Currently, there are two main aims of bioprinting. Each has its own potential impacts as follows:
- Replacement of raising livestock for animal products: Raising livestock takes a lot of resources and it is proposed that bioprinting will be able to produce the same products using less resources with a much reduced impact to the environment. This could mean smaller farms, particularly for larger animals, or possibly the elimination of the raising of livestock altogether.
- New source of biological components in medicine: Bioprinters could become important pieces of equipment in hospitals where they could print living tissues for grafts and replacements of numerous organs. This could mean people can more quickly recover from serious injuries such as burns and there would no longer be people waiting for live organ donations. Additionally, bioprinted tissue can be used in the testing of new drugs which could advance medical research.
