Barriers to Adoption

Even with the bright future of bio-printing in mind, it still has several barriers to overcome before it will succeed in global markets. Scientists still have a long road ahead of them and need to perfect the technology they work with, continue testing on animals, get approval to test on humans, go through years of human tests and further improving their technology, and then have the FDA approve the final product to put out on the market. Another potential issue could be religious groups. Several religious groups would consider this technology against the will of God, inhuman, or even satanic. They are likely to cause trouble for scientists by defaming them through the web or public protests. Even once the product is out on the market, patents could create more barriers. If only a select few companies are able to sell bio-printing products due to patents and such, their oligopoly may cause them to use the power they hold to set extremely high prices. If the price of a new organ or tissue is too high for most consumers to afford, it would limit the potential the technology has to spread and truly make an impact on the world. Overall, bio-printing has several barriers to overcome over the next several decades.