3-D-printed organs on the way

California-based biotech firm Organovo is set to begin selling 3-D-printed liver tissue by the end of the year, according to CNNMoney.

While the company hasn’t yet successfully printed a fully functioning liver, they have successfully produced live liver tissue. Michael Renard, executive vice president at Organovo, told CNNMoney the living tissue allows scientists new ways to conduct research.

Similar types of 3-D printing have been used to make functioning prosthetics and replacement bones, according to CNNMoney, but organs are more difficult.

CNNMoney reports researchers at Harvard University are working on printing functioning human kidneys, while a team at the University of Louisville is working on a 3-D-printed heart.

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