3D Printed Micro Livers Created

[Brian_Krassenstein]

One doctor at MIT’s Laboratory for Multiscale Regenerative Technologies has 3D printed a miniature human liver. These livers can be placed within mice and used for drug toxicity testing. Dr. Sangeeta Bhatin is the one behind this study. She feels that we are getting closer to acutlly 3D printing an entire functioning liver, however, further research is still needed. the tiny livers are the size and shape of a typical soft contact lens. Further details about this development can be found here:
http://3dprint.com/6563/bioprinting-livers/

How long before we will have entire human livers printed? Any guesses? Below you will find one of the mini livers Dr. Bhatin and her team have created:

[Feign]

I have a feeling that 3D printed full organs will look very little like their naturally grown counterparts. If the cells are human (and from the person getting the organ) the body won't likely reject a grown liver weather it looks outwardly like a liver or it looks like a nike swoosh. I could imagine this going to a kind of custom biology, Things like more structurally stable lungs, multiple, reduntant hearts and possibly even wierder stuff could be on the horizon.