A team of researchers produced engineered ear cartilage from human cartilage cells and tested the results in animals. The collaboration includes groups from ETH Zurich, a research institute in Basel and a cantonal hospital in Lucerne. The work follows an earlier 3D-printed ear produced in 2016 by Marcy Zenobi-Wong’s group.
The scientists started from small cartilage remnants taken during corrective operations. About 100,000 cells can come from a small piece, but a printed ear needs many more cells. The cells were expanded in a nutrient solution, placed in a bioink and printed. The team developed a culture environment to supply nutrients and oxygen and to encourage formation of type II collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycans.
After roughly nine weeks of pre-maturation the ears were implanted under the skin of rats and remained stable after six weeks. Philipp Fisch, the study’s lead author, says elastin still needs further stabilisation. The next steps are clinical studies, structured testing and formal approval before use in patients.
Difficult words
- cartilage — firm tissue in the body, not bone
- collaboration — work between different groups or institutions
- expand — to grow the number or size of cellsexpanded
- bioink — material used for printing living cells
- culture — controlled environment for growing cells
- elastin — protein that makes tissues elastic
- implant — to place medical material inside the bodyimplanted
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- What do you see as the main benefits of using lab-grown ear cartilage for patients?
- What safety tests or steps should researchers do before using these ears in people?
- Would you agree to a clinical study for a medical implant made this way? Why or why not?
Related articles
Study finds flaws in cloud password managers
Researchers at ETH Zurich tested three cloud-based password managers and found multiple attacks that could expose or change users' passwords. They followed responsible disclosure, gave companies time to fix the issues, and recommended stronger encryption and audits.
