Acta Scientific MEDICAL SCIENCES (ISSN: 2582-0931)
Volume 8 Issue 3 March 2024
Human Fabrication: Ethical and Legal Aspects of 3D Bioprinting
Elena Salvaterra*
Independent Researcher in Bioethics, National Coalition of Independent Scholars,
USA and the ISOPROG-Somatolink EPFP Research Network, Philadelphia, USA -
Caltanissetta, Italy
*Corresponding Author: Elena Salvaterra, Independent Researcher in Bioethics,
National Coalition of Independent Scholars, USA and the ISOPROG-Somatolink EPFP
Research Network, Philadelphia, USA - Caltanissetta, Italy.
Review Article
Received: February 05, 2024
Published: February 19, 2024
© All rights are reserved by Elena Salvaterra.
Abstract
3D bioprinting of human tissues and organs for the treatment or replacement of diseased body parts is widely recognized as
key driver of the so-called 4
th
industrial revolution. Indeed, bioprinting is coming to play the role of game changer in current and
future medical practices by making available unique tissues and organs for personalized regeneration or transplantation. However,
this technology raises controversial issues in ethical and legal terms. From a speculative perspective, the bio-fabrication poses the
question to re-think the human nature in relation to its capacity to generate new species and immortal life. From a practical viewpoint,
it rises the problem to rework or establish new ethical and regulatory frameworks governing traditional informed consent, privacy
protection and intellectual property rights. This article navigates these ethical and legal challenges with the aim to outline the
international debate on the potential of 3D bioprinting to foster human fabrics.
Keywords: Biotechnology; Organs; 3D Bioprinting
Introduction
3D bioprinting of tissues and organs for research and therapeutic
purposes is a fast developing and promising area of biotechnology
[1]. The quick and successful expansion of 3D bioprinting (or
bio-fabrication) in the medical field leads to consider it as game
changer of tissues engineering and regenerative medicine and
reasonably supports an optimistic view of the future application of
this technology to provide 3D tissues and organs for the treatment
of several diseases.
Now entering the stage of “evangelism” [2], after scattering
doubts on its efficacy, the bio-fabrication looks at the final and
challenging goal to make available in the future customized tissues
and organs for personalized medicine.
In the field of transplantation, 3D bioprinting has been
successfully used in specific areas. In 2006, Atala and colleagues
performed the first successful transplant of a bio-fabricated bladder
[3] and most recently, in 2022, the transplant of a 3D bio printed
ear was efficiently conducted by using engineered autologous stem
cells [4].
The application of 3D bioprinting is not limited only to
regenerative surgery but it extends to the field of reproduction
[5], pharmacology research for drug and toxicity testing and
cosmetology [6,7].
Successes in the field of bioprinting announce the promising
possibility for a future replacement of cartilage, blood vessels,
internal organs like heart, liver, kidney, and they show how this
Citation: Elena Salvaterra. “Human Fabrication: Ethical and Legal Aspects of 3D Bioprinting". Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 8.3 (2024): 92-96.
DOI: 10.31080/ASMS.2024.08.1769