"Most of the artificial limbs we have now are standardized. 3D printing can help not only to prepare the most suitable operation plan, but also to give a patient the most personalized artificial limb," said Dai.

Of all the personalized expenditures, the personalized health plan is certain to become a popular trend. Though 3D printing is still in its early stages in biomedicine, extraordinary results have been achieved. As well as artificial limbs, teeth, and bones, scientists have started to research human cells and organs, endeavoring to use 3D printing to make up the huge shortage in organs for transplantation.

Research company LuxResearch anticipates that 3D printing will be worth 1.9 billion dollars in the medical market by 2025. However, biological data processing, suitable biological materials, the R&D on a precision printer, and the survival of living tissue after printing are all testing problems to solve. "Optimistically, it is likely to take at least 5 to 10 years for 3D printing to actually make the breakthrough in biomedicine," says Professor Chen Jimin of Beijing University of Technology. 

This article is edited and translated from 《3D打印的医学憧憬：自造人体器官》，source: National Business Daily, author: Huang Zongyan