Woman in Mexico undergoes groundbreaking surgery using 3D-printed ear made of human cells

NEW YORK -- A woman in Mexico underwent a groundbreaking surgery using a 3D-printed ear made of human cells.

The procedure is part of a clinical trial by 3DBio Therapeutics, a company based in Queens.

The ear was reconstructed using cells from the patient, who was born with a misshapen ear.

Researchers hope to use the same procedure on patients born with microtia, a rare congenital deformity where one or both outer ears are absent or underdeveloped.

It affects about 1,500 babies born in the United States each year.