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In today’s program, I will introduce more touching stories about how 3D printing helps animals and the innovative 3D bioprinting technologies that could help hasten the end of the vile practice of animal testing in the future. In 2009, Seemore the green sea turtle was hit by a boat propeller in the Florida Keys. This hindered her ability to dive normally to find food in the wild and she could no longer live independently. After a computed tomography (CT) scan in July 2017, the team examined Seemore’s shell structure and the damage, and then selected the exo-shell design. The considerate project team attached the 3D printed prototypes to Seemore’s shell using Velcro during the testing process, so the prototypes could be easily removed, adjusted or reattached without moving Seemore out of her tank. Thanks to the team’s labor of love and Traner Knott’s loving care around the clock, Seemore can now happily dive like a normal turtle with her 3D printed backpack. Many new cosmetics, drugs, vaccines, and other products are often tested on animal models to determine their supposed efficacy and safety before human trials or being released into the market. There have been increasing protests against the unethical, inhumane and useless practice of animal testing in recent years, and compassionate scientists are responding with an eye-opening alternative - 3D bioprinting. Since the EU banned animal testing in cosmetics products in 2009, bioprinting human skin tissues for cosmetics testing has become the primary area of interest. In addition to skin tissues, other biocompatible human tissues can also be bioprinted. The organ-on-a-chip technology has the advantages of rapid response and precision control, hence researchers can test new medicine cheaper and quicker than animal models. On the other hand, the cool and creative 3D bioprinting technologies have great potential to save countless animal lives as researchers turn away from animal testing. May these life-saving technologies rapidly become more efficient and cheaper to benefit more animals, in God’s blessings.
