in a medical first, woman receives 3d-printed ear transplant from her own cells

the groundbreaking new procedure was performed on a 20-year-old woman with microtia, a rare condition involving an undeveloped ear.

by maija kappler

published jun 02, 2022

3 minute read

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3 minute read

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woman receives 3d-printed ear transplant from her own cells

left: the patient's ear before surgery. right: the patient's ear 30 days post-surgery. photo provided by dr. arturo bonilla courtesy of 3dbio therapeutics.

for the first time ever, doctors have given a patient a transplant ear 3d-printed using her own cells. the company that built the ear, 3dbio therapeutics, referred to the surgical procedure as “groundbreaking” in a press release. the procedure is the first human phase of a clinical trial of treatment for microtia, a rare congenital condition where the outer ear is underdeveloped or completely absent. doctors sometimes treat microtia by reconstructing the outer ear with rib cartilage grafts or synthetic material. those procedures can be long and painful, according to cbs news, and can have several severe side effects, like chest deformities and rigid, uncomfortable implants.

“this is a truly historic moment for patients with microtia, and more broadly, for the regenerative medicine field,” dr. daniel cohen, the company’s ceo, said in the release. “… we believe that the microtia clinical trial can provide us not only with robust evidence about the value of this innovative product and the positive impact it can have for microtia patients, but also demonstrate the potential for the technology to provide living tissue implants in other therapeutic areas in the future.”

the patient who received the transplant is a now 20-year-old woman from mexico with microtia. she was born with a normal left ear and an underdeveloped right ear.

the company didn’t go into detail about how exactly the procedure took place, citing proprietary concerns. but they did explain in press materials provided to healthing that the patient’s left ear was 3d-scanned to match its shape, and her right ear was biopsied. doctors used chondrocytes (cells responsible for cartilage formation) from her right ear, which they then expanded and combined with collagen-based ink. this was then shaped into a mirror image of her left ear and 3d-printed. a protective “overshell,” a biodegradable polymeric framework, was then laid onto the implant. that shell will be reabsorbed into the body as the implant matures.

3d-printed ear transplant, courtesy of 3dbio therapeutics.

dr. arturo bonilla of san antonio, texas, who specializes in pediatric microtia surgery, performed the surgery. “this is so exciting, sometimes i have to temper myself a little bit,” he told the new york times.

the outer ear is a largely cosmetic body part that won’t have a significant impact on hearing. but bonilla told cbs that the surgery can be a significant self-esteem boost, especially for children.

“an issue that becomes more prominent is bullying or teasing,” he told the outlet. “children don’t understand that they’re hurting somebody else’s feelings, but it really does affect them in a major way. and that’s usually when they start coming to my office.”

the surgery is part of an ongoing clinical trial expected to enrol 11 patients in san antonio and los angeles. the company says they hope to go on to create 3d-printed implants for other conditions including tissue degeneration or cancer treatments.

dr. adam feinberg, a professor of biomedical engineering and materials science and engineering at carnegie mellon university, explained to the new york times that this doesn’t mean 3d-printed transplants will start soon for functional organs like lungs, kidneys or hearts. “just going from an ear to a spinal disc is a pretty big jump,” he said.

but feinberg also told the times that the ear transplant is “definitely a big deal.”

“it shows this technology is not an ‘if’ anymore, but a ‘when.'”

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