A woman just received a living 3D-printed windpipe — and her body is growing a real one to replace it.
In a medical first, doctors in South Korea have successfully implanted a 3D-printed, bioengineered windpipe into a woman in her 50s — marking a milestone in the future of organ regeneration.
After losing part of her trachea during thyroid cancer surgery, the patient received a custom-designed implant built directly from her CT and MRI scans. The 5-cm windpipe was made from a biodegradable polymer scaffold infused with stem cells and cartilage cells — a design that lets it function as a living organ rather than a mere replacement part.
Six months after surgery, her body has begun forming new blood vessels and tissue within the implant — all without the use of immunosuppressants. Over the next few years, the synthetic scaffold will naturally dissolve, leaving behind a fully regenerated, patient-grown trachea.
This breakthrough could transform the field of organ transplantation, eliminating the need for donor organs or permanent synthetic devices. It’s a glimpse into a future where 3D printing and regenerative medicine merge to allow the body to heal itself — one organ at a time.
MBH/AB