A Mexican Girl Gets The First Ever 3-D Ear Tissue Transplant In USA

As per accounts, a female's outer ear was repaired using a 3-dimensional living tissue transplant as to what looks to be the first attempt of its sort.

People having microtia, an uncommon chromosomal defect in which either or both outer lobes are missing or imperfectly grown, can benefit from the technique.

The surgery was performed in March on a twenty-year-old Mexican lady who was diagnosed with a tiny and malformed right ear, as per the New York Times.

3DBio Pharmaceuticals, the firm behind the implantation, reported the repair, but detailed information on the device and process was unavailable for quick review.

The surgery was made up of a Three-Dimensional-printed gelatin hydrogel framework and the person's own cartilage tissue, according to the business. According to the news release, "the structure is produced in a size and shape that matches the child's opposing ear for insertion."

Adam Perriman, a biomedical expert at the University of Bristol whose job involves creating 3D cell printing processes, was equally pleased with the discovery. "Because the ear is made of bone and is avascular – that is, it lacks capillaries – it is simpler to bioprint than more complex tissues or organs, which is still a long way off," he explained. "All that being said, there will still be few instances of tissue engineering applications products or processes, so it's an intriguing proposition."