This means adjusting the in vitro studies. The issue with many in vitro studies is that the cells in this study do not behave the same as cells found in the body. So how does a scientist make a liver cell perform like a working liver in the body? He creates one. With the use of 3D printing this may be possible one day. .
3D printing is the printing of a 3D model from a computer. There are many types of 3D printing. However in biology 3D printing involves the printing of cells and other living tissues. 3D printing is showing much promise in the medical field, specifically in the area of pharmaceutical research and development. Why? Because what better to test a drug's toxic effects than a human liver. One day 3D printing may allow laboratories the ability to test these effects themselves at a low cost and prevent many of the drug failures that happen in the clinical trials and death of animal models. However there are still many issues with 3D printing. Researchers and private companies are working hard to bring make this vision a reality.
Review of Literature.
Methods of Bio-Printing.
Cell Presses.
3D printing itself has dozens of methods however, in biotechnology there is bio-printing, which is term that refers to the printing of cells and living tissue. There are many different methods of bio-printing. The most common methods to date are, laser forward printing, inkjet printing, and filament extrusion. "Ink-jet printers generally print cells in suspension or media, laser printers lock cells into a gel, and filament microextrusion deposits cells in a continuous thread of material in a process akin to squeezing toothpaste from a tube"(Sinha, 2014). The method best suited for a scientist is to their own choosing. However different methods of printing have different outcomes. For instance ink-jet printing is more cell-dense, whereas laser-forward printing produces more defined cells which are more similar to the modeled cells.
