we're all getting old. yes, even you. more and more of our population are oversixty, some living well into their nineties. and as we live longer our joints, organsand tissues begin to fail. thereby diminishing the quality of ourold age.
wake forest institute for regenerative medicine 3d printing, not to mention the societal cost of lostproductivity and long term care. our current medical technologies allow for extroadinary feats of augmentation andreplacement,
transplantation, pacemakers and artificial joints. regenerative medicine goes further.promising the repair of dysfunctional body parts with our own living tissue. many species can regenerate. a salamandercan re-grow it's limbs, tail and even it's eye. but sadly only a few bits of us, like a healthyliver, can perform that trick. coaxing the rest of our body to do it, requires more effort. 3d printed, bio-material
scaffold coated with layers ofthe patients cells and cooked up in a body-mimicking oven can produce viable vains, bladders and bone. and more complex organs like kidneysaren't far away. adult stem cells, while proving difficultto tame, promise injectable repairs for conditions like multiple sclerosis, typeone diabetes, heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis. techniques incorporating nano-technologyare also targeting spinal injuries,
joint degeneration and failing organs. but in the world already burdened withoverpopulation, is it even ethical to invest
and encourage extended longevity. will our culture slow or stagnate withoutretirements, or death of the old guard?
