Bum knee? Soon, doctors will be able to print out new cartilage

Wiping out on the football field and destroying your knee could make you the perfect candidate for receiving some futuristic new 3-D-printed cartilage. Researchers have successfully printed up porous cartilage-like material using a 3-D tissue printer — a traditional ink-jet printer rigged up to an electrospinning machine. The gizmo fabricates very fine flexible fibers out of a polymer solution, and the newfangled technology means docs can order up the exact body part they need. Once implanted, real cartilage cells integrate with the man-made material. But don’t get slammed yet! It’s still in the research phase. [Source]

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