Last month we highlighted the use of 3-D prototyping to create sculptures out of sugar - Print Me Something Yummy! - and this month the same technology is used to print human tissue. New Scientist Tech, online magazine, published the latest developments. While experiments with “bionk” - bio-ink - has been going on for several years, James Yoo at the Institute of Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University, NC, has developed a process that produces multiple types of cells at the same time, and he applied for a “Tissue Printer” patent.

Yoo uses a standard inkjet printing mechanism to create layers of viable cells, which can then be built into 3D structures. He says the structures may comprise several different types of cells, just as conventional image printers use several different colours of ink. The system could also print dyes to make the structure easily visible and growth factors to encourage healthy development.

Those of you who are interested can read the tissue printer patent application. The patent application describes the production of skin and bone, pancreatic or nerve tissue, and - potentially - stem cells.

Sorry, I forgot to tell you - I like to read patents and SEC filings…