Ear reconstruction is part of a clinical study for patients with microtia, a rare congenital disorder in which both outer ears are missing or underdeveloped.

In a "revolutionary" operation, doctors transplanted 3D-printed human ear cells into a 20-year-old woman.

The first surgery was part of a clinical study conducted by 3DBio Therapeutics, a clinical regenerative medicine company, and the Microtia-Congenital Ear Deformity Institute. The New York Times reported that the ear was made of cells from a woman who received a transplant who was born with a small, deformed right ear.

This surgery is part of a clinical trial testing the AuriNovo implant. The company hopes to get approval for the procedure and help others born with microtia, a rare congenital disorder in which one or both outer ears are missing or underdeveloped. 

The woman's new ear will be molded in a mold that fits her left ear, according to 3DBio Therapeutics. The company told the outlet they received the transplant in March and will continue to regenerate cartilage tissue, giving the ear a natural look and feel. This implantation procedure was performed by a team led by Arturo Bonilla, MD, a leading pediatric ear reconstructive surgeon specializing in deformities and the founder and director of the Microtia Ear Deformity Institute in San Antonio, Texas.

I am inspired by what this technology means for microtia patients and their families," said Dr. Arturo Bonilla, the pediatric reconstructive ear surgeon who performed the surgery, said in a press release.

Bonilla added that "the hope is that AuriNovo will one day become the standard of care" and be able to replace current treatments, which require "invasive" surgery to harvest costal cartilage or the use of plastic implants.