Woman receives ear transplant 3D printed from her own cells

Woman receives ear transplant 3D printed from her own cells. Tulsa hospital shooter kills four, self. Biden administration lifts some restrictions on Cuba flights.

NATIONAL NEWS

The patient’s ear before and then after the transplant.

A 20-year-old woman from Mexico with a rare birth defect has received a transplanted ear that was 3D printed using her own cells. The woman, who has not been identified, is part of a small clinical trial of patients suffering from microtia, a birth defect that causes one or both ears to be misshapen or even absent.

To create the ear, scientists used a groundbreaking 3D printing process called AuriNovo, developed by 3DBio. This involved extracting chondrocytes from the deformed ear, then expanding and mixing the cells with a collagen-based bio-ink. The 3D printer then used the cells to create a reverse replica of her good ear.

CEO and founder of 3DBio Daniel Cohen says his company plans to build on this technology “to solve other high impact, unmet medical needs like lumpectomy reconstruction and eventually expand to organs”.

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Tulsa hospital shooter kills four, self

Yesterday afternoon, a man between 30-45 years old entered a medical building in Tulsa, OK. Using a handgun and an AR-15, he killed four people and wounded an unknown number of others. The deceased victims were Dr. Preston Phillips, Dr. Stephanie J. Husen, receptionist Amanda Glenn and patient William Love. The first call to 911 came into law enforcement around 4:52pm, and officers arrived at about 4:56pm. Officers report hearing a shot, which they believe was the shooter taking his own life.

Police have identified the gunman as Michael Louis. Louis was a patient of Dr. Phillips and had recently undergone back surgery. On Louis’ person, they found a note blaming Dr. Phillips for his continued backpain following the surgery. Louis bought both of his weapons legally on the day of the shooting.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Biden administration lifts some Trump-era restrictions on Cuba travel

The Dept. of Transportation has lifted Trump-era restrictions on travel to Cuba following a request from Sec. of State Antony Blinken. The Obama administration had previously loosened restrictions on travel to the country. Commercial airlines and chartered planes will now be able to fly into Cuban cities other than Havana.

It does not appear that the Biden administration has yet expanded the categories of people who are allowed to travel to Cuba. The Trump-era restrictions imposed tight limitations on people who traveled to Cuba for anything other than family visits. However, the White House has announced plans to increase consular services. They also intend to reinstate the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program, which previously allowed Cuban families to be reunited in the US.

Last month, the administration lifted quarterly caps on remittances to family members in Cuba from US citizens and residents. Remittances are an invaluable lifeline for many Cubans. Sec. Blinken says these steps by the administration are “in support of the Cuban people, and in the foreign policy interests of the United States”.

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