First Successful Full 3D-Printed Heart

According to CNN news, earlier this week, Professor Tal Dvir from Tel Aviv University released the news that the first 3D-printed heart was successfully engineered. The heart is complete with blood vessels, and cells printed by “ink” from the patient in order to prevent organ rejection. Currently the heart is the size of about a rabbit’s heart, and it doesn’t perform the functions of a heart just yet. Once the hearts develop the pumping ability, they plan to start organ transplants in animals and eventually work their way up to providing a solution to the world’s main cause of death.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/15/health/3d-printed-heart-study/index.html

I can remember  waiting for this day ever since I heard about 3D-printing. First, my sister would come home from college and tell me about the 3D-printer that she’s allowed to use in college, and I can remember how amazed I was when she brought something home to show me. Next, I realized the possibilities of 3D-printers spanning wider than just plastic mechanisms when I chose to focus a presentation on it for my high school communications class. Finally, the possibilities of organ transplant with organs printed directly from the patient’s cells, lowering the risk of organ rejection is revolutionary. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and the chance of waiting on the donor list for a heart is so slim. Even though the heart is only the size of a rabbit’s, and there’s still a long way to go, this news shows promise for the future of medicine. Of course, their first limitation right now is the fact that the heart doesn’t pump. Then, once they get past that obstacle, I can only assume their next limitation would be deciding what to do about beginning to distribute hearts for transplant. A successfully printed human heart would change the lives of so many, but only if they can afford it. Although we don’t know how much hospitals would be willing to charge for 3D-printed organs, there’s a possibility that it would be a steep price. Although I don’t know the deciding factor of medical treatment costs, these procedures would be in high demand. The transplant list is long but imagine the impact that it would have on those who didn’t have great chances of finding a perfect match. This development is paving the way for so many future directions. Overall, it’s amazing to see how developed the printers have become and to only imagine what great advancements they will bring to the future.

While my first semester at college has taught me a lot about living independently, using the bus system, and always being prepared for rain; as a student, I believe that I have mostly learned about how to ask for help. During high school, I almost never needed extra guidance about a paper or a topic on a test. I mostly studied my own way and worked on papers a couple nights before they were due. This semester, however, I have been to almost all of my Chemistry Lab TA’s office hours and have frequently visited the MSLC. In college I started to realize that I might not always know what the teacher expects, so I’ve been using office hours to ask all my questions as I work on my assignments throughout the week.

With my chemistry labs, I found myself completing the experiment on Wednesday and then spending Wednesday and Thursday night on my report. Friday morning I would go into office hours with my first set of questions, and then continue to work on my report throughout the weekend. Then, on Tuesday, the day before it was due, I would go back in to office hours with any last minute questions or explanations before submitting it and starting the process all over. Although the constant use of resources was new to me, I was glad that I always had a place to go to ask for help when it was needed.

I have grown from someone who never asked for help and preferred figuring out problems on their own, to talking to professors and TAs each week. At the beginning of the semester, I was shy about attending office hours but I have watched myself grow a bit more now as we approach the end of the first semester. I hope to continue to use my resources in the future, especially to meet with professors to ask for recommendations and possible opportunities to benefit my future career. It’s important for me to continue to put myself out there and experience different situations that push me out of my comfort zone in order to benefit my future.

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