West Virginia University College of Law professor Sean Tu recently co-authored a new article in volume 14, issue 1 of IEEE: Pulse. The article is titled "Next-Generation Bioprinted Products: Products of Nature or Patentable Innovation?" Professor Tu's co-authors are Jennie O. Zheng and Stephen B. Maebius, both of Foley & Lardner LLP.
From the abstract:
Bioprinting is an additive manufacturing process used to create architectures that mimic natural living tissues in form and function. It involves the deposition of bioink, which can include a mixture of living cells, nutrients, and extracellular matrix. The bioink is then deposited onto a scaffold to generate 3-D structures that imitate natural tissues and organs. This process has already been used to generate a diverse range of products, including bioprinted human ears for transplant, and 3-D printed bioceramic and modified biopolymer bone implants that received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) marketing approval. Researchers are working on bioprinted versions of a wide range of organs, including liver, kidney, lung, and heart.
Find more of Professor Tu's scholarship on SSRN.