Unlimited supply of donor follicles using 3D printer

What do you guys think of this? 3 D printer to create unlimited supply of donor follicles, "The ear, cartilage and bone all grew and developed blood vessels once transplanted…The concept is, you would take a small piece of tissue from a patient — less than half the size of a postage stamp — then we can expand the cells outside the body and place them in the printer so we could print tissues for that same patient,” Atala said

If they can use 3D printer to create ear bone and other organs, they might be able to do the same for hair follicles.

Interesting, but as I see it you’d still need an unlimited supply of DP cells and activated stem/progenitor cells in order to make the follicle cycle. I think these can’t just be 3D printed that easily because the problem is creating working duplicates with the right genes activated. A 3D printer can’t ensure that the right genes are activated. It’s more of a way to position all the components in their proper places X number of times.

As far as as using a 3D printer to produce follicles, I think it could work (in theory) as long as you had an unlimited supply of working DP and stem cells, but how do you get those cells? A 3D printer can’t manufacture the components, only a structure made up of the components.

One other thing: I believe there is a young medical researcher in Canada who recently won an award for inventing a 3D printer that can make skin (including hair) for people like burn victims. I saw an article on it, I’ll try to find it. But I think when it came time for “proving” the device could actually make skin with growing hair, they basically said more research and development are needed.

There are a lot of articles about this -

Here they mention adding hair follicles -

http://www.geektime.com/2014/11/16/this-canadian-3d-printer-generates-a-human-skin-bandage-for-burn-victims/

I think it’s harder to do than they make it seem, though.

I think you are right, it’s probably a long shot for hair follicles.

Sadly I don’t see a cure anytime soon. I think I’m going to go with a FUE hair transplant when I get enough cash. It also doesn’t help I’m starting to get gray hairs and I’m my 40s. I wish I took better advantage of my looks when I was younger.

Trouble is when you’re young you have no money but you have beauty. When you’re older you have money but lose the looks. It’s so frustrating-can’t win. But I’d rather be rich than pretty. Life is easier, you have more power and women still want a man who can take care of them financially.