Researchers at Hangzhou Dianzi University actually went as far as inventing their own 3D printer for the complex task, dubbed the “Regenovo.”

“Xu Mingen, Regenovo's developer, said that it takes the printer under an hour to produce either a mini liver sample or a four to five inch ear cartilage sample. Xu also predicted that fully functional printed organs may be possible within the next ten to twenty years,” stated 3D Printer World.

According to Xu, the Regenovo can print in a sterilized environment with temperatures ranging between 23 and 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Perhaps the biggest triumph of the Regenovo 3D printer is that it can apparently complete its task in a very delicate manner – the cell damage rate is extremely low, with about 90 percent of the printed tissue cells surviving the process. Xu also claims that printed organs have been kept alive in the lab for up to four months.