Accelerates progress towards an ambitious goal
While complex 3D bioprinted organs are still several years from the readiness needed for human transplants, a prize can stimulate significant advances towards this whilst addressing issues of scale, affordability and equity of access.
A lot of the foundational technology is already in place
We also have accurate 3D modeling tools to allow fabrication at the complexity and resolution needed for printed biological materials, as well as highly developed cell culture techniques. A prize can provide the incentive needed to bring these different areas of expertise together towards a clear, shared goal.
Brings in a range of teams and approaches to work on it
3D printing technology is advancing rapidly across a range of sectors for other applications – we can benefit from the tech advances made in other applications and transfer this knowledge. A prize could attract companies and researchers from other industries to tackle the problem.
Opportunity to address challenges in regulation and ethics
There is currently a lot of uncertainty about how to classify and regulate 3D printed organs (e.g. whether it is a product, organ or medical device), and whether we need new regulatory frameworks or can use existing ones. Challenge prizes like the Longitude Prize on AMR have demonstrated that we can bring regulatory bodies on board as collaborators in the creation of new regulatory standards and then ensure that outcomes meet those standards.