3D-printed cornea restores sight in a legally blind patient
9 days ago
- #corneal transplant
- #3D printing
- #medical breakthrough
- First successful transplant of a 3D-printed cornea onto a legally blind patient, restoring their sight.
- Developed by Rambam Eye Institute in Haifa, Israel, in collaboration with Precise Bio, using cultured human corneal cells.
- Potential to help millions suffering from corneal blindness due to injury, infections, or genetic disorders.
- 3D-printing allows a single donor cornea to produce around 300 implants, addressing global donor shortages.
- Technology originally developed in 2018 at Newcastle University, UK, with Precise Bio refining it over the past decade.
- Future applications may include printing cardiac tissue, liver, and kidney cells, pending further trials and validation.