In a fascinating presentation, Gabor Forgacs of Organovo spoke at the last TEDMED about tissue printing technology his company is working on. Organovo is currently in the process of commercializing vessel printing for biomed research, and hopes one day to move on to organ printing and even the manufacture of synthetic meat.
Later in the day, Gabor actually brought some printed meat with him for a fun little demo. Here’s from our coverage of TEDMED 2011:
In a hilarious and aptly timed demonstration, Gabor Forgacs from Organovo got on stage next to talk about printing meat with his tissue printers. He had talked previously about using them to regenerate tissue for human health, but it is equally possible to take muscle cells and print them for human consumption. He brought up a little frying pan, opened up a vial, and pulled out a strip of “printed” pork that he made using his technology, heated it, and ate it right in front of us. The whole spectacle was hilarious and the audience was loving every moment. He’s not sure what to call his new type of meat but is leaning toward “lab meat” or “in vitro meat.”TEDMED 2011 flashbacks: Day 1 – Pop It, Lock It, and Take a Statin; Day 2 – Glow in the Dark Tumors that Blind Rats Can Now See; Day 3 – Mushroom Loving Insects and FDA Blues; Day 4 – Nano Shapes and Confronting Death