Is it possible to re-engineer the human body? BioBots thinks so. It all began in a college dorm room; one big dream and a prototype. The startup tech company made itself known in a big way this week at TechCrunch’s Disrupt conference in New York City by 3D printing a living copy of Van Gogh’s ear.

The BioBots printer looks just like most 3D printers...only it prints miniature organs. 3D printers of the past most often stuck to printing with flexible plastics, but the technology is making major strides in the medical field by printing with cells. This new practice is called regenerative medicine and its potential is revolutionary.

Through a biofabrication process, scientists create the artificial tissue that will be used as the printing material. BioBots, and other companies like it, hope to bring these low cost, desktop printers to labs everywhere to allow for real and accurate testing sans animals or unreliable 2D tissue.

The cartilage “ink” package hit markets this week at $700. The general ink is composed of three powders combined with a fourth for the binding factor and lastly, the desired living tissue, be it bone, liver or cartilage cells. From there the mixture is stirred and loaded and the design is selected. The actual printing occurs with the use of a syringe and a hardening process. Far more simple than one would expect when building a human organ from scratch.

Bioprinting is creating new possibilities in pharmaceutical testing - an industry that spends $50 billion a year on research and development. By testing with artificial human cells, companies will get a more accurate read on the drug’s efficacy and for a much smaller price tag.

With further experimentation and developments, scientists are are hoping for a more direct application in the future - using printed body parts and organs as functional replacements for people who need them.

Over 120,000 people are waiting for organ transplants at any given moment in the US alone, this technology could be life changing. While bioprinting is sticking to the research and development path right now, it won’t be long before we start hearing about the fabrication of working, self-sufficient organs. BioBots and 3D printing living tissue is just beginning to open up a world of new capabilities.