Woman becomes first to get new 3D printed ear made from her own cells in ‘revolutionary’ transplant | Science & Technology News

A 20-year-old woman has become the first person to receive a successful ear transplant using 3D printing technology.

The patient, known as Alexa from Mexico, was born with microtia, a rare birth defect that causes the outer part of the ear to be small and distorted and can affect hearing.

Arturo Bonilla, a pediatric ear reconstructive surgeon in San Antonio, performed the implant surgery on the woman by removing half a gram of cartilage from the rest of her microtia ear and then sent it to 3DBio Therapeutics in Long Island City, Queens, along with a 3D scan of her healthy ear.

At this facility, Alexa’s chondrocytes, the cells responsible for cartilage formation, are isolated from tissue samples and cultured in a proprietary nutrient blend, transforming them into billions of cells.

They are inserted into a specialized 3D bioprinter with a syringe and transformed into a small oblong shape that resembles a reflective copy of the patient’s healthy ear.

The entire printing process takes less than 10 minutes.

The printed ear shape was then sent back in cold storage to Dr. Bonilla, who then implanted the ear under the skin just above Alexa’s jawline.

After the skin stretches around the implant, the shape of an ear is formed.

Alexa said she started becoming more self-conscious about her appearance as a teenager and would try to cover her ears by keeping her hair long and loose.

However, she says the transplant means she can start wearing her hair in a ponytail or bun.

The 20-year-old said: “You care a little more about your image as a teen. Some people said thoughtless things and that started to bother me.

“I think my self-esteem will increase.”

“This is so interesting, sometimes I have to temper myself a little bit,” says Dr. Bonilla.

“If everything goes according to plan, this will revolutionize the way it’s done.”