Ethical guidelines for using bioprinting for humans

¹ Central University of Technology, South Africa
² Stellenbosch University, South Africa

^* Corresponding author: llategan@cut.ac.za
andrevdm@sun.ac.za

Abstract

This paper’s focus is the identification of ethical guidelines for bioprinting for humans in addition to existing bioethical principles and guidelines. The literature review explores the definitions for additive manufacturing and bioprinting and the application extent of these technologies. From this review, ethical challenges were identified and discussed. The purpose of the paper is to guide scientific research, practitioners, and relevant healthcare workers through various ethical viewpoints, and to point out the consequence and effects when applying newly discovered technology. Due to the complexity of bioprinting, additional guidelines were identified to cover the scope of bioprinting in bioethics. Consequently, four sets of ethical guidelines for decision-making in bioprinting were identified with person-centred ethics at the core of these sets.