Dr. Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic – Columbia University professor of biomedical engineering – achieved the feat for the first time using stem cells and moulds generated from three-dimensional scans. They are still testing them with animals, but theoretically this means that doctors would be able to replace any bone – no matter how small and intricate – within a decade.
The implications are huge, especially as the population keeps getting older across the globe. Built-to-order bones are organisms that will extend human lives even further and, more importantly, reduce diseases dramatically. [New York Times]