Opinion: 3D bioprinting can help end organ transplant waitlists — if the FDA stops delaying
STAT June 18, 2021
Right now, more than 100,000 Americans are waiting for organ transplants. Due to a lack of available kidneys, livers, hearts, and lungs, at least 17 of them die each day.
Using 3D bioprinting to create new organs — and personalize them for recipients — could prevent these tragic deaths. Yet inaction at the Food and Drug Administration is impeding the rollout of this technology. Regulators have not yet come up with a framework for reviewing and approving these lab-grown organs. Until they do, Americans awaiting organ transplants will continue to suffer.
These people already face long odds. A willing donor must die or, in the case of kidney transplants, a living donor must agree to a major procedure. Donors’ organs...