... are formed at room temperature for the first time using a special gel that allows doctors to build structures minutes before surgery

• Scientists have 3D-printed 'bone' at room temperature with a special ink
• The ink contains the patient's living cells, along with calcium phosphate
• The mixture hardens within minutes of mixing with bodily fluids 
• It then converts into mechanically interlocking bone nanocrystals

A new innovation allows scientists to 3D-print human bones from a person's own living cells and for the first time, the process has been done at room temperature.

A team at Australia's University of New South Wales-Sydney created a 'bio-ink' gel that contains a patient's live bone cells in a calcium phosphate solution, which are necessary minerals for bone formation and maintenance.

Using a technique known as ceramic omnidirectional bioprinting in cell-suspensions (COBICS), the gel is 3D-printed directly into the patient's bone cavity instead of surgeons having to remove a piece from a different location.

The material then hardens within minutes of being exposed to bodily fluids and converts into mechanically interlocking bone nanocrystals.

A new innovation allows scientists to 3D-print human bones from a person's own living cells and for the first time , the process has been done at room temperature