Custom ‘printed’ organs could be only a decade away from being a reality for patients following a breakthrough by a team of University of Wollongong (UOW) scientists.

Researchers from UOW’s Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Sciences (ACES) announced they are just three years away from printing custom-made body parts, including muscle and nerve cells and cartilage.

“It is already possible to print 3D biocompatible plastics and metals to manufacture patient-specific implants,” ACES Director Professor Gordon Wallace said.

“Within a few years, we believe it will be possible to manufacture living tissues like skin, cartilage, arteries and heart valves using cells and biomaterials. Using a patient’s own cells to create this tissue avoids issues of immune rejection. By 2025, it is feasible that we will be able to fabricate complete functional organs, tailored for an individual patient.”

Professor Wallace and his team are are meeting with clinicians, medical device manufacturers and policy makers this week in Melbourne to discuss the future of fabricated medical implants.

Professor Wallace said 3D printing, or additive fabrication, uses machines to build 3D objects layer-by-layer from digital data.

“While 3D printing is already being used in some medical applications, by bringing together the materials and scientists at ACES and the clinicians and researchers at SVH we have been able to accelerate our progress so that we are now on the verge of a new wave of technology leveraging 3D printing/additive fabrication techniques to deliver solutions to a number of medical challenges. These include bionic devices, the regeneration of nerve, muscle and bone, as well as epilepsy detection and control.”