英国科学家研发出3D打印眼角膜 有望无限量供应

歌手姚贝娜去世后，捐献眼角膜帮助三名患者重见光明，感动了无数人。但全球角膜移植供体紧缺仍是不争的事实。如今，英国科学家采用3D打印技术，10分钟就可以打印出符合不同患者特点的眼角膜，未来有望无限量供应。

Human corneas have successfully been 3D printed for the first time by scientists at Newcastle University in England.

英国纽卡斯尔大学的科学家首次成功采用3D技术打印出人类眼角膜。

By mixing stem cells from a healthy donor cornea with alginate, a gel derived from seaweed, and collagen, researchers managed to create a "bio-ink" solution that can be printed.

科学家通过将来自健康供体角膜的干细胞与藻盐酸（来自海藻的凝胶）和胶原蛋白混合在一起，创造出可以打印的“生物墨水”溶液。

This bio-ink then would be successfully expelled out of the printer in concentric circles in the shape of a cornea in less than 10 minutes, according to a paper published in Experimental Eye Research.

之后，3D打印机可以把这种生物墨水成功打印成眼角膜的同心圆状，整个过程仅需10分钟。这项研究成果发表在《实验性眼科研究》期刊上。

"Our unique bio-gel -- a combination of alginate and collagen -- keeps the stem cells alive while producing a material which is stiff enough to hold its shape but soft enough to be squeezed out the nozzle of a 3D printer," said lead researcher Che Connon in a press release.

首席研究员彻-康农在新闻稿中说：“我们独一无二的生物墨水由藻盐酸和胶原蛋白制成，使干细胞保持活力，同时制造出足够坚硬的材料以保持其形状，而且足够柔软以从3D打印机的喷嘴挤出。”

Connon's team also showed it is possible to create a cornea that matches a patient's unique specifications.

康农的团队还向人们展示出，打印出符合患者不同特点的角膜是完全可行的。

By taking the dimensions of the patient's actual cornea with scans, scientists can use the data to print a cornea that matches its size and shape.

科学家通过扫描患者的眼睛来量取其真实角膜的尺寸，之后使用这些数据打印出与其大小和形状相配的眼角膜。

The 3D printed corneas will now have to undergo further testing but it is hoped the technique could be in regular use within five years.

3D打印的人类角膜将需要进行进一步测试，但这一技术有望在5年内投入常规使用。

Professor Connon said the research could help with the worldwide shortage of corneas for transplant.

康农教授说，这项研究有助于缓解全球范围内的眼角膜移植供体短缺问题。

Currently around 10 million people worldwide each year require surgery to prevent corneal blindness, and another five million already suffer total blindness from corneal scarring caused by burns, lacerations, abrasion or disease.

目前全球每年有大约1000万人需要移植角膜来防止角膜盲。还有500万人由于烧伤、撕裂、擦伤或疾病导致角膜瘢痕而完全失明。