Ear transplant
A 20-year-old lady from the United States has become the first person to have a successful 3D-printed ear transplant.
According to the New York Times, a first-of-its-kind clinical study in which the patient received an ear transplant made from her own living cells was performed by 3DBio Therapeutics, a regenerative medicine company. Microtia is a rare congenital disorder in which one or both outer ears are missing or incompletely formed. The groundbreaking approach is believed to be utilized to treat persons with microtia.
Alexa, a 20-year-old Mexican woman, born with a tiny and malformed right ear, underwent the procedure. The ear was designed to mimic the woman’s other ear and will continue to produce cartilage, giving it the appearance and feel of a real ear, according to 3DBio Therapeutics.
According to the company, the 3D bio-printed living tissue ear implant was made with AuriNovo, a “groundbreaking” investigational combo solution for reconstructing the outer ear in patients with microtia. According to the media site, the treatment was led by Dr. Arturo Bonilla, an ear reconstructive surgeon and the founder of the Microtia-Congenital Ear Deformity Institute in San Antonio, Texas.
