Layer by layer, a biological printer was building something that until recently could only come from a human donor.
In South Korea, a team of scientists managed to create a living cornea using bio-inks made with real cells and biocompatible materials. The machine deposits the tissue with microscopic precision, and the result is then cultured in a laboratory until it gains the strength needed to function like a real cornea.
What gives this breakthrough weight is another fact: more than 12 million people around the world are waiting for a cornea donor who may never come. This technology could be the answer to that wait, but the researchers themselves are clear — clinical studies and approvals are still needed before anyone can receive one of these corneas in a real operating room.
