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.
