Animal testing
The ability to print organs has decreased the demand for animal testing. Animal testing is used to determine the safety of products ranging from makeup to medical devices. Cosmetic companies are already using smaller tissue models to test new products on skin. The ability to 3-D print skin reduces the need for animal trials for makeup testing. In addition, the ability to print models of human organs to test the safety and efficacy of new drugs further reduces the necessity for animal trials. Researchers at Harvard University determine that drug safety can be accurately tested on smaller tissue models of lungs. The company Organovo, which designed one of the initial commercial bioprinters in 2009, displayed that biodegradable 3D tissue models can be used to research and develop new drugs, including those to treat cancer. An additional impact of organ printing includes the ability to rapidly create tissue models, therefore increasing productivity.