Inkjets may soon repair fractured arms 2005
Scientists at the University of Manchester in England think they’ll soon be
able to repair fractured arms and help other medical conditions by using inkjet
nozzles that spray live human cells onto the patient. The technology is being
developed in cooperation with British inkjet manufacturer Xaar who are refining
their equipment for human cell delivery. While bone replacement will likely be
the first application put into use, they are also working on tissue engineering
cartilage and blood vessels. They are cautious to point out, however, that a
lot more work still needs to be done in order to ensure that the cells are not
altered in some way by the delivery process.