Alexa, a 20-year-old woman from Mexico, has microtia: a birth defect that causes the external ear to stop growing when it’s still small and unconventionally-shaped. This made her the ideal candidate for an experimental procedure in which doctors take a clump of cells from a patient with a cosmetic concern, then use those cells to print a new body part suited specifically for that patient. The procedure, led by New York-based regenerative medicine company 3DBio Therapeutics, allowed doctors to create an exact copy of Alexa’s fully-formed left ear to replace her right ear.
Much of 3DBio’s technology is under wraps due to proprietary concerns, but The New York Times appears to have gathered a few details regarding the company’s process during a tour of its Queens facility. In Alexa’s case, a surgeon collected half a gram of cartilage from her malformed ear, took a 3D scan of her healthy ear, and shipped both to 3DBio. The company then isolated the sample’s cartilage-forming cells and allowed them to reproduce. Once 3DBio had its hands on billions of cells, it mixed the cells with a sterile, collagen-based “bio-ink” to create the material that would ultimately be used to 3D print Alexa’s new ear.
Alexa’s ear before the surgery (left) then 30 days after the surgery (right). (Photo: Dr. Arturo Bonilla/Microtia-Congenital Ear Institute)
Within 10 minutes, 3DBio had a replacement ear ready to transplant. The company shipped the ear back to Alexa’s surgeon, who implanted the ear under her skin. Alexa received the transplant back in March, at which point the vague shape of an ear could be seen behind her jawbone; in the few months since, a nearly fully-formed external ear has formed.
While the printed ear will not facilitate hearing, microtia often impacts the patient’s ability to hear out of the affected ear, as was the case with Alexa. This meant Alexa’s decision to participate in the procedure was purely cosmetic. This also made 3DBio’s first human trial of its technology a bit easier, as a non-functioning external ear is a relatively simple appendage to create and attach. There’s also a low risk of rejection, since the replacement body part is made of the recipient’s own cells. 3DBio is monitoring the success of Alexa’s procedure long-term to ensure it’s safe to perform with other patients. Meanwhile, 3DBio has lined up a trial of 11 patients ages six to 25 who have volunteered to receive similar transplants, then be monitored for five years afterward.
3DBio expects to expand into printing other replacement body parts, like spinal discs, noses, and rotator cuffs, in the near future. Meanwhile, the technology to produce internal vital organs like lungs and kidneys will likely take a while to develop and perfect.
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