Tissue engineering and 3D printer replicate adult human ear

The study, carried out by researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell Engineering and published online in Acta Biomaterialia , offers the promise of grafts with well-defined anatomy and the correct biomechanical properties for those who are born with a congenital malformation or who lose an ear later in life.

“Ear reconstruction requires multiple surgeries and an incredible amount of artistry and finesse,” said, Dr. Jason Spector, chief of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at  NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and a professor of surgery (plastic surgery) at Weill Cornell Medicine. “This new technology may eventually provide an option that feels real for thousands needing surgery to correct outer ear deformities.”

Surgeons can build a replacement ear using cartilage removed from a child’s ribs, but the resulting graft generally does not have the same flexibility.

Chondrocytes, the cells that build cartilage, can help produce a more natural replacement ear. In earlier studies, Dr. Spector and his colleagues used animal-derived chondrocytes to seed a scaffold made of collagen, a key component of cartilage.