Question: Using the idea of a normal bone structure, could you rebuild an arm that had been lost in an accident, by rebuilding the bone in the 3d printer?

Andrew Phillips answered on 15 Jun 2015:

Great question! That’s what we’re working towards. So far we’ve focused on bone and I think us and other groups are getting closer – in the next 5 to 10 years I think we’ll see artificial bone being used in surgery. Very small amounts or bone taken either from the patient or a donor are used at the moment, sometimes mixed up with bioglass, but we’re not yet at the stage where we could replace a whole bone.

Lots of work also needs to be done to develop muscles, as well as the vascular and neurological systems to replace a body part, so there are lots of opportunities for engineers to explore!