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Swedish Startup 3D-Prints Tissues and Organs

Cellink uses a standard 3D printer and a special gel to create human skin, liver tissue, and beta cells that produce insulin.

3D Printed Organ / Image: Cellink
3D Printed Organ / Image: Cellink

Roughly 20 people in the United States die each day waiting for an organ, but according to a recent Business Insider article a Swedish startup is well on its way to potentially solving the issue. Cellink has developed a way to use a 3D printer and proprietary gel to create skin, ears, liver cells, and even recreate cancer tumors used to test new cancer treatments.

The special gel is a combination of synthetic and natural polymers mixed with materials based on the extracellular matrix, which creates an ideal setting for organ and cell production. The startup has 70 employees and works with over 450 labs around the world, and they claim their printer is 10x cheaper than their direct competitor.

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