3D Ice Printing Can Create Artificial Blood Vessels in Breakthrough for Lab-Grown Organs

As the need for organ donations, especially for hearts, kidneys and livers, becomes more prevalent, more and more scientists are dedicating themselves to finding ways to create viable artificial organs, although there has been little success in recent years. However, now there could be a solution. Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have shown found a way to close the gap between available organs and the demand for transplants. By using 3D ice printing, they have found that it is possible to create structures that resemble blood vessels, mimicking their natural design and allowing them to function properly in the body.

The news comes at a fortuitous time. According to the Division of Transplantation (DoT), the federal entity responsible for oversight of organ and blood stem cell transplant systems in the USA, in 2024, there were 103,223 men, women and children on the national transplant waiting list. Furthermore, the number is constantly growing, with a new person being added every 8 minutes.

Many on the organ transplant list have waited for quite a while, especially for organs where demand is high, such as for kidneys (image credits: HRSA)

Not only that, but the DoT estimates that about 17 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant, over 6000 a year. That is why so much time and research has been put into not just increasing the number of organ donors (at about 170 million people in the U.S. as of 2022, though it should be noted that not every who registers as a donor can actually donate), but also finding alternative ways to get viable organs. This is where much hope has been put into methods like 3D printing.