This new technique for 3D printing bone and cartilage tissue could lead to even bigger medical advancements. Via Digital Trends:

The process involves taking human stem cells and mixing them with a sodium alginate material derived from seaweed. This can be printed into particles which, once dissolved, leaves tiny breathable pores. Combined into strands it is possible to create patches of tissue. The undifferentiated stem cells are used to convert the tissue into specific cells, such as bone or cartilage. The team who worked on the project are also looking at how this same technique could be used to create muscle, fat, and an assortment of other tissues.

“These patches can be implanted in bone or cartilage, depending on which cells they are,” Ibrahim Ozbolat, associate professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State, said in a statement. “They can be used for osteoarthritis, patches for plastic surgery such as the cartilage in the nasal septum, knee restoration, and other bone or cartilage defects.”

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