3D-Printed Human Embryonic Stem Cells Created for First Time
Source: Livescience.com (via Yahoo)
Imagine if you could take living cells, load them into a printer, and squirt out a 3D tissue that could develop into a kidney or a heart. Scientists are one step closer to that reality, now that they have developed the first printer for embryonic human stem cells.
In a new study, researchers from the University of Edinburgh have created a cell printer that spits out living embryonic stem cells. The printer was capable of printing uniform-size droplets of cells gently enough to keep the cells alive and maintain their ability to develop into different cell types. The new printing method could be used to make 3D human tissues for testing new drugs, grow organs, or ultimately print cells directly inside the body.
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are obtained from human embryos and can develop into any cell type in an adult person, from brain tissue to muscle to bone. This attribute makes them ideal for use in regenerative medicine — repairing, replacing and regenerating damaged cells, tissues or organs. [Stem Cells: 5 Fascinating Findings]
In a lab dish, hESCs can be placed in a solution that contains the biological cues that tell the cells to develop into specific tissue types, a process called differentiation. The process starts with the cells forming what are called "embryoid bodies." Cell printers offer a means of producing embryoid bodies of a defined size and shape.
Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/3d-printed-human-embryonic-stem-cells-created-first-165551783.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
And they could out do abortions by printing them.
...since the hESCs are not 'created' by the 3D printer. The living hESCs are part of the 'ink' that the printer uses. The fact that these "Cell printers offer a means of producing embryoid bodies of a defined size and shape" could lead to the ability to 'print' organs, or at least contribute to the construction of organs.
Here is an article with a more accurate title: Scientists Print 3D Object Using Stem Cells For The First Time
Once fine-tuned, the technology should allow scientists to make three-dimensional human tissue in the lab, eliminating the need for organ donation or testing on animals, they reported.
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can replicate indefinitely and become almost any type of cell in the human body.
They are touted as a source of replacement tissue, fixing nearly anything from malfunctioning hearts and lungs, to damaged spines, Parkinson's disease or even baldness.
Scientists have previously tested 3D printing, which uses inkjet technology, with other types of cells, including adult stem cells.
But until now hESCs, which are more versatile than mature ones, have proven too fragile.
Now, having taken care of the niggling details, my reaction is WOW. COOL. WHAT AMAZING TIMES WE LIVE IN!!!!
Thanks for the post, FB!
but would guess that abortion begins at PC LOAD LETTER 
Thanks for that!
--down the side of the page and uptop. If only we could actually BUY a PRINTER that made us a liver or heart or arm or whatever we needed!
Maybe some day. Maybe not too far off, even.
Shows to go ya that computers are NOT YET as smart as we are--we, who can understand very readily what a stem cell "printer" is--that it is NOT a word or image or inanimate object printer--but something unique, new, unprecedented and quite marvelous, from the point of view of sentient biological beings--and that the DUMB COMPUTER PROGRAM just doesn't get, though it knows how to distract and annoy us with ads, and sometimes make us laugh.
(Ignore the stupid text-comment at the end of the video...)
Multipass!
