The team was able to grow seed cells in lab by removing a small portion of cartilage tissue from behind the ear, by cultivating enough cells biodegradable 3D print molds were filled and the resulting cartilage could be injected straight into a human body.
The same research group also was able to grow a human ear in lab and graft it onto a human patients in a study involving children with microtia. This new injection method would also enable patients to grow cartilage parts of the nose and chin to develop fully functional tissue over time, which could also help in processes of organ reconstruction.
This technology is a minimal invasive treatment that is similar to natural growth, which may help to avoid many side effects caused by hyaluronic acid that is now in clinical applications, and is expected to be applied in surgeries and organ reconstruction.
