providing endless opportunities from printing homes, to modeling organs.

提供了從印刷房屋到製作器官模型的無盡機會。

And now, scientists are tackling the challenge of incorporating living cells into bone-like structures using a new ceramic ink.

而現在，科學家們正在利用一種新的陶瓷墨水來解決將活細胞納入骨質結構的挑戰。

This could one day allow surgeons to repair damaged bones by applying ink directly into the injury.

這有朝一日可以讓外科醫生通過將墨水直接塗抹在傷處來修復受損的骨骼。

Bones are capable of self-healing.

骨頭是能夠自我修復的。

But sometimes, the damage is so severe, the body is unable to repair itself.

但有時，損害是如此嚴重，身體無法自我修復。

This can happen in cases of severe trauma or an illness, like cancer, where a large area of bone tissue is missing

這可能發生在嚴重創傷或疾病的情況下，如癌症，大面積的骨組織缺失。

or needs to be removed.

或需要刪除。

Currently, the go-to choice for major bone repair is a graft.

目前，主要骨修復的首選是移植。

But high risks of infection or immune rejection

但感染或免疫排斥的風險很高

has led bioengineers to explore the creation of artificial bone.

這使得生物工程師們開始探索人造骨的創造。

Engineers have tested synthetic materials like metals, thermoplastics, and bioceramics,

工程師已經測試了合成材料，如金屬、熱塑性塑膠和生物陶瓷。

trying to get synthetic bones just right.

試圖讓合成的骨頭恰到好處。

And for the last decade or so, they've even tried 3D printing them.

而在過去十年左右，他們甚至嘗試過3D打印。

One reason it's so difficult to print artificial bones is its hybrid nature.

打印人造骨骼如此困難的原因之一是其混合性質。

In addition to bone's mineralized weight-bearing structure, bone is also alive!

除了骨骼的礦化承重結構外，骨骼也是有生命的!

It has living tissue that allows it to compress and bend without breaking

它有活的組織，使其能夠壓縮和彎曲而不破裂

and this level of complexity can be hard to replicate.

而這種複雜程度是很難複製的。

Until now, if you needed a 3D printed bone it had to be premade in a lab somewhere,

直到現在，如果你需要一個3D打印的骨頭，它必須在某個實驗室預先製作。

and the process involved using either high-temperature furnaces or toxic materials.

而這個過程涉及使用高溫爐或有毒材料。

Any living cells have to be added after the bone was printed.

任何活細胞都必須在打印出骨頭後加入。

It's a slow and imperfect process that, depending on the complexity and size of the bone you need,

這是一個緩慢而不完美的過程，取決於你所需要的骨頭的複雜性和大小。

could take several days or even weeks.

可能需要幾天甚至幾周的時間。

That's a long time to wait if you need a bone.

如果你需要一根骨頭，那要等很長時間。

And even once the artificial bone is implanted, things could still go wrong.

而且，即使一旦植入了人工骨，事情仍然可能出錯。

It could be slow to heal or even collapse.

它可能癒合緩慢或甚至崩潰。

What's cool about this new 3D printing technique is it eliminates the toxic chemicals and extreme heat

這種新的3D打印技術的酷之處在於它消除了有毒化學品和極端的熱量

by printing at room temperature with a unique new ink...

通過在室溫下用一種獨特的新墨水進行印刷，...

on demand and with live cells ready to grow.

根據需要，用準備好的活細胞進行生長。

It's called Ceramic Omnidirectional Bioprinting In Cell-Suspensions.

它被稱為Ceramic Omnidirectional Bioprinting In Cell-Suspensions。

It uses a ceramic-based ink made of calcium phosphate, the main mineral found in human bones and teeth,

它使用由磷酸鈣製成的陶瓷基墨水，這是人類骨骼和牙齒中的主要礦物。

to produce bone-like structures that can set in minutes.

產生類似骨質的結構，可以在幾分鐘內凝固。

The ink is extruded into a gelatin support bath that contains living cells.

墨水被擠壓到含有活細胞的明膠支撐槽中。

The ink “sets” through this clever little trick.

通過這個巧妙的小技巧，墨水 "定型 "了。

When it comes in contact with water in the gelatin bath,

當它與明膠浴中的水接觸時。

the ceramic ink transforms into crystal nanostructures similar to the building blocks of actual bones.

陶瓷墨水轉變為類似於實際骨骼的構建塊的晶體納米結構。

The living cells form colonies around the ink, where they grow into a network of tissues.

活細胞在墨水周圍形成菌落，在那裡生長成一個組織網絡。

This closely mimics ossification, the natural process that creates new bone in the body.

這密切模仿了骨化作用，即在體內創造新骨的自然過程。

The team has already printed delicate bone structures up to about half a centimeter cubed,

該團隊已經打印出了精緻的骨骼結構，最大約為半釐米見方。

and after 14 days, more than 95% of the cells survived.

並在14天后，超過95%的細胞存活。

In a clinical setting, the ink would solidify in bodily fluid

在臨床環境中，墨水會在體液中凝固。

and print bone-like structure that already contains the patient's own living cells.

並打印出已經包含患者自身活細胞的骨狀結構。

With advances in hand-held printing, it may one day be possible to repair immobilized patients on site.

隨著手持打印技術的進步，也許有一天可以在現場修復不能動彈的病人。

Of course, we're in the early days of this whole process and we still need to see if COBICS-printed bones

當然，我們還處於整個過程的早期，我們仍然需要看看COBICS打印的骨骼是否

continue their cell growth once they've been placed inside existing bone tissue.

一旦它們被置於現有的骨組織內，它們的細胞就會繼續生長。

This hasn't stopped surgeons and medical tech manufacturers from expressing interest in the technique.

這並沒有阻止外科醫生和醫療技術製造商對該技術表示興趣。

The team is currently working on re-designing the support bath to print larger samples.

該團隊目前正在努力重新設計支撐槽，以打印更大的樣品。

So perhaps in the not so distant future, it will be a little easier to repair bones that won't heal all by themselves.

是以，也許在不太遙遠的將來，修復那些不會自行癒合的骨骼會更容易一些。

And that's something worth looking forward to.

而這是值得期待的事情。

So in the future repairing bones will be a snap.

是以，在未來，修復骨骼將是一件很容易的事。

And that's not the only part of you that might be printed in the future.

而這並不是你唯一可能在未來被印刷的部分。

Check out this video on the first full-size 3D print of a human heart.

請看這個關於第一個全尺寸的人類心臟3D打印的視頻。

If you have any 3D printing breakthroughs you think we should cover,

如果你有任何你認為我們應該報道的3D打印的突破。

let us know in the comments below and as always, thanks for watching Seeker.

請在下面的評論中告訴我們，並一如既往地感謝您觀看《探索者》。