[nycthbris]

3D printing any mildly complex tissue is a huge challenge. Let alone getting that printed tissue to function in vivo. Almost all press releases like this one will hype that things are just around the corner. The truth is that bioengineering any organ system is extraordinarily complex, but likely achievable some day in the future.

I haven't read the paper behind the press release, but I'm skeptical of claims about 3D printed tissue. The primary obstacle in the heart is having a perfusable network of vasculature that is simultaneously mechanically & electrically functional. This requires intact extracellular matrix as well as functioning cardiomyocytes & supporting cell types. Maybe that's just my bias though (I'm an author on: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.115....).