Scientists in China have created and grown new ears for children born with microtia , a defect that leaves the outer ear unformed or absent , using 3D printing . In the study , the team took cartilage samples from five patients , aged between six and nine years old , and used CT scanning and 3D printing to create a platform on to which they grew new ears from the samples . The study was highly successful in three of the patients . The team said the technology still had limitations and was expensive , but believed their work could become a routine procedure eventually .
Scientists in China have created and grown new ears for children born with microtia, a defect that leaves the outer ear unformed or absent, using 3D printing. In the study, the team took cartilage samples from five children, aged between six and nine years old, and used CT scans and 3D printing to create a scaffold on to which they grew new tissue from the samples. The study was highly successful in three of the patients. The team said the procedure still had limitations and was expensive, but believed their work could become a routine procedure eventually.