VOA慢速英语--以色列的研究人员创造了第一个3D打印心脏

Researchers in Israel Create First 3D-Printed Heart

Israeli researchers say they have created the world’s first three-dimensional ,or 3D-printed heart using a patient’s own cells.

The researchers, from Tel Aviv University, recently announced the experiment and showed off the new 3D printed heart. Their findings were published in the journal Advanced Science. They described the experiment as “a major medical breakthrough.”

The lead researcher on the project was university professor Tal Dvir. He said in a statement that it was the first time that human cells had been used with 3D printing technology to successfully create a whole heart. Dvir added that the “printed” heart contains blood vessels³ which are needed to pump blood.

Until recently, scientists working on medical methods combining biology and technology were only successful in 3D printing “simple tissues without blood vessels,” the research team said.

The engineered heart introduced by the Israeli team was not big enough to be transplanted into a human. "At this stage, our 3D heart is small, the size of a rabbit's heart," Dvir explained. "But larger human hearts require the same technology."

The development marks a step forward for 3D printing in the medical field. The technology has already expanded into many industries and has been developed to produce devices like guns, cars and homes.

The researchers wrote that they took samples of fatty tissue from patients. This material was then used to develop “ink” for the 3D printing process. First, the researchers created patches of tissue from the patient’s own cells. Later, they used that same process to create a small version of a whole heart.

Dvir says using the patient's own cells is important to reduce the risk that the body’s system to fight infection will reject a transplanted organ.

The goal, the researchers said, is to treat heart disease. The World Health Organization reports that heart disease is by far the leading cause of death worldwide. For patients with severe heart disease, a heart transplant is currently the main treatment available. The researchers hope their invention can help ease the demand for heart transplant donors⁴.

Dvir says that the newly-created heart represents great progress. However, more research and development is needed to produce a fully¹ operating, transplantable organ. For example, he said the heart cells will need to fully form parts that can work together to effectively pump blood.

One of the biggest challenges for the engineering team will be finding a way to create a human-sized heart.

Dvir said his team plans to transplant heart models designed for animals, possibly within the next year. He added that, for human use, “simpler organs” will likely be produced before hearts.

"Maybe, in ten years, there will be organ printers in the finest hospitals around the world,” Dvir said. He added that he hopes such methods will be used “routinely” to produce organs in the future.

In 2017, the Israeli health ministry⁵ formed a group to examine the issues related to the use of 3D printing technology in the medical field, Israel’s newspaper Haaretz reported.

One of the group’s members was Samer Srouji, who works at Galilee Medical Center in the coastal⁶ city of Nahariya. He told the newspaper that while 3D printing in medicine offers great promise, it can also present problems.

“There were also cases that ended up with complications, causing infection and harm to the patient,” he said. “This area requires regulation, with protocols⁸ and clear guidelines in place,” he added.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

three-dimensional – adj. having or seeming to have length, width, depth

breakthrough – n. an important discovery or development

vessel² – n. small tube that carries blood through the body

transplant – v. operation in which a new organ is put into someone’s body

patch – n. piece of material use to repair damaged parts of something

challenge – n. a difficult task or problem

routinely – adv. regularly or often

complication – n. a new medical problem that develops when someone is being treated for an illness

regulation – n. an official rule that controls how something is done

protocol⁷ – n. rules about what you must do and how you must behave in official situations

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

3 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

7 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

8 protocols   

n.礼仪( protocol的名词复数 )；（外交条约的）草案；（数据传递的）协议；科学实验报告（或计划）

参考例句：

• There are also protocols on the testing of nuclear weapons. 也有关于核武器试验的协议。 来自辞典例句
• Hardware components and software design of network transport protocols are separately introduced. 介绍系统硬件组成及网络传输协议的软件设计。 来自互联网