Using state-of-the-art tissue engineering techniques and a 3D printer, researchers have assembled a replica of an adult human ear that looks and feels natural.
The study offers the promise of grafts with well-defined anatomy and the correct biomechanical properties for those who are born with a congenital malformation or who lose an ear later in life.
Many surgeons build a replacement ear using cartilage removed from a child's ribs, an operation that can be painful and scarring. And though the resulting graft can be crafted to resemble the recipient's other ear, it generally does not have the same flexibility.One way to produce a more natural replacement ear is to enlist the aid of chondrocytes, the cells that build cartilage. In earlier studies, Dr.
To test the feel of the ear, biomechanical studies were performed in conjunction with Dr. Spector's long time engineering collaborator Dr. Larry Bonassar, the Daljit S. and Elaine Sarkaria Professor in Biomedical Engineering at the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering on Cornell's Ithaca campus. This confirmed that the replicas had flexibility and elasticity similar to human ear cartilage. However, the engineered material was not as strong as natural cartilage and could tear.
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