Source: Home of the Stationmaster
Whether researching treatments for COVID-19 or other diseases, scientists usually have to conduct preliminary tests on animals to determine whether the drug is safe or effective in humans.According to foreign media, Anthony Atala, director of the Regenerative Medicine Institute at Wake Forest University, and his team are using A 3-D printer to create miniature replicas of human organs, including a miniature lung and colon, that are particularly susceptible to novel Coronavirus.

Researchers 3D printed human satellite organs and immediately sent them to the Biosafety Laboratory at George Mason University for testing.
The idea predates the novel Coronavirus outbreak — Atala said he never would have considered using the technology for coVID-19 — but it could come in handy and help speed the development of experimental drugs.
Atala’s lab in North Carolina is said to produce thousands of printed organs an hour.”This THREE-DIMENSIONAL model could bypass animal experiments and allow drugs to move more smoothly from laboratory to clinical use,” the researchers said.