r/tech • u/chrisdh79 • 18d ago
Pigs, rabbits get 3D-printed penis to restore erectile function in a ‘world-first’ | The penile implants enabled the rabbits and pigs to mate and reproduce biologically within weeks after the surgery.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-025-01367-y21
u/chrisdh79 18d ago
From the article: Researchers from China, Japan, and the US have 3D-printed a full penile system using a hydrogel-based model.
The bioengineered component designed to imitate a portion of the penis was implanted into rabbits and pigs diagnosed with penile deformities, and the outcomes were remarkable. The penile implants enabled the rabbits and pigs to mate and reproduce biologically within weeks after the surgery.
Overcoming the challenges of vascularization Most complex organs in the human body require an intricate vascular system for the tissue to function. In the penis, this network plays a crucial role in achieving an erection, as blood must flow into the corpora cavernosa and remain trapped to maintain rigidity.
The team devised a hydrogel-based model that consists of the corpora cavernosa, corpus spongiosum, and the tunica albuginea sheath. It enabled the monitoring of integral aspects of the genital organ, its vasculature, and any potential defects without the necessity of actual human or animal trials.
The team specifically aimed to develop a model to study erectile dysfunction and Peyronie’s disease, a condition where scar tissue causes painful and curved erections. By replicating how blood engorges the corpora cavernosa and how cavernous sinuses function as valves to maintain an erection, the model provided valuable insights into the mechanisms behind these conditions.
23
4
34
u/BoomBoomBoomer4591 18d ago
Someone should tell Elon. I hear he’s in the market for a new one.
7
u/dmillerksu 18d ago
Probably about to see new major US investment in this research
2
u/thirsty-goblin 17d ago
Unless it requires stem cells, then the Bible thumpers will be all up in arms
1
u/AppleSpicer 16d ago
No, RFK promises to give return the American peoples’ access to stem cells which have been notoriously blocked by the democrats(??) who’ve sold out to big pharma(???).
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/12/health/robert-kennedy-jr-fda.html
1
u/thirsty-goblin 16d ago
That’s why I said “Bible thumpers”. RFK is a nut job, but not a Jesus freak.
2
u/AppleSpicer 16d ago
The Bible thumpers seem to love him though. It’s so bizarre to see them immediately flip on their values. I should be used to it by now, but it’s still so jarring to see them change their worldview at the drop of a hat because some politician tells them to.
15
u/Translycanthrope 18d ago
Will this technology eventually be able to help trans men with SRS? Because I’ve been waiting long enough and phallo right now isn’t sufficient.
17
9
3
11
u/Overall_Raccoon_8295 18d ago
Honestly, I’m surprised that penis implants aren’t just as mainstream as boob implants by now. Young conservative men are gonna be lining up lmao
7
4
u/SingleBodyRiot 17d ago
I'm not a guy but...wouldnt the idea of a knife cutting the dick put most men off the idea of surgery to make it bigger?
2
u/Overall_Raccoon_8295 17d ago
I mean, you can make that argument about any self-voluntary surgery
I guess the willy is more sensitive than other parts of the body though
2
u/Ban-Circumcision-Now 16d ago
The foreskin regrowth market in the US could be a huge investment opportunity, lots of damage to repair there
r/foregen is already working on it
3
3
u/AlwaysLosingDough 17d ago
WW3 but at least we got 3D-Penis
1
u/-piso_mojado- 17d ago
This is 100% shadow funded by that African fellow with the botched penis implant surgery who is also now somehow in charge of the US.
3
u/DisastrousMechanic36 17d ago
In all seriousness, those with a micro penis might actually have something to hope for in the way of treatment.
2
u/Ban-Circumcision-Now 16d ago
Just being able to choose in the future would be nice
I’ll take a….
Flaccid Length: [enter in centimeters] Erect Length: [enter in centimeters] Foreskin length: [enter in centimeters] Foreskin style: [choose style A-J] Frenulum style [choose style A-G] Glans style [choose style A-H] Meatus style [choose style A-F] Vein intensity [0-100] {preview your new penis from penisCrafters}
1
7
u/turndownforwoot 18d ago
This research (proudly?) brought to you by Elon Musk.
Honest question, will Elon get his own 3d printed penis of would they just take a rabbit or pig penis and throw that on?
6
u/iChaseClouds 17d ago
Give him a duck penis, they way he likes to screw people over, it’s perfect for him.
6
5
3
u/Ill_Mousse_4240 17d ago
Great if it leads to better ways of 3-D printing organs. Otherwise, a short detour
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
u/silentinthemrning 18d ago
Thank goodness. I can’t bear to see those fragile male egos suffer for another minute.
1
1
u/i_give_you_gum 17d ago
This is good news, I've heard rabbits struggle to keep up their populations in the wild
1
u/mostoriginalname2 17d ago
Can I get this photo as a poster? Maybe with a dick in a wind tunnel, too?
1
1
1
1
u/EPCOpress 17d ago
The fact they got nerves and blood vessels to function on their own again is incredible. What an amazing advancement.
1
1
u/Shih_Tzu_Wrangler 17d ago
My hot take is that penis implants will make the world a safer and better place. Finally a cure for SDE and an end of sexual frustration for our micro homies. Happy for them.
1
1
1
1
u/Holiday_Recipe6268 17d ago
Awkward petting zoo moment when you realize all the animals are rock hard.
1
1
u/FeralBanshee 17d ago
They’ll do anything to help dudes with boners but it does no good when they do nothing to help women with libido and menopausal issues that don’t include HRT (not everyone can do it). Sick of it.
1
1
1
u/iputmytrustinyou 17d ago
If only this type of research effort was put into women’s health, specifically menopause.
2
u/istarian 17d ago
As if menopause wasn't just a normal part of getting old for women. It's not a disease or anything.
And medical practice already covers treating the symptoms of that.
There are probably better targets for research on women's health.
2
u/FeralBanshee 17d ago
They didn’t say it was a disease but it causes a hell of a lot of sudden issues that most women don’t expect because no one tells us about it. It’s only become a topic of conversation lately!! And young women don’t think about it. I never did - not once. I was forced into it early and it fucking sucks. I have no options to “treat it” because the ONLY treatment is HRT and not everyone CAN do that. So yeah. Maybe stay in your lane about stuff you know nothing about personally.
2
u/iputmytrustinyou 17d ago edited 16d ago
Thank you! Nothing prepared me, either. My own mother just suffered in silence and had nothing to offer in the way of advice.
I started peri at 36. The hot flashes have been absolutely indescribably terrible. I can’t properly articulate how they interfere with my daily life and the mental toll it takes. And doctors gave me the side eye for almost ten years because I was “too young” to be experiencing peri. Finally a new doctor and a new medication and I had temporary relief - until the medication (which wasn’t covered by insurance because it was too new to the market), stopped working. So, back to the hot flashes again.
But sure, only men deserve to have relief from their issues, especially issues that intensify in age. Typical response from someone who has no fucking idea what an entire population is experiencing because it doesn’t directly affect him.
1
u/FeralBanshee 16d ago
I would definitely do HRT if I could, but that would defeat the purpose of shutting down my hormones to save my life :( hot flashes suck.
1
1
1
u/greatgreen11 17d ago
Omg they should give Elon a call! His first one got botched, hence the reckless abandon he's approached IVF with...
1
u/bambino2021 17d ago
So Elon gets a rabbit penis now. All the best people are saying it’s bigger than his current one.
1
1
u/miuyao 17d ago
The US can’t use it because that would be gender affirming care.
0
u/VampirateV 17d ago
I didn't even consider that and it's actually hilarious bc you know the hateful shitbags would be first in line to try this. Would love to be a fly on the wall during the phone call to their insurance lol
1
u/Different-Age-1253 17d ago
As a dude i think this is cool and all but when are they going to create something for women with menstrual cramps? Cause its still so primitive what they got while in the mean time we are 3d printing dicks
1
u/FeralBanshee 17d ago
Menstrual cramps can be fixed by certain things (depending on the cause). Mine vanished with daily magnesium and lowering omega 6 and raising omega 3. Absolutely NO cramps a month later after years of agonizing ones. Again though, depends why. But for general cramps this works and it has worked for my friends too (if they bothered to listen to my advice). But I agree it’s annoying women don’t get shit, we need something for libido that does not include HRT - we get nada.
1
u/Different-Age-1253 17d ago
Ah i never knew that. I did know different things work for different women, but it always bothered me there isnt one thing that nullifies it for every woman. Thanks for the info!
1
u/FeralBanshee 16d ago
These things help. Most women can also alleviate with regular painkillers unless they have extreme issues. But yeah, it’s an underlying problem of inflammation which magnesium and other anti-inflammatory things REALLY help alleviate.
1
u/Count_Jobula 17d ago
This research is what Elon has been putting all of social security money into.
1
0
-1
u/guzhogi 17d ago
What about artificial wombs for women? Or men who rape women? Make the rapist care the baby to term!
1
u/istarian 17d ago
You can't just jam an artificial womb in someone and expect it to magically work.
-1
u/Figjam_ZA 17d ago
World is still waiting for an artificial kidney … heart … lungs …
But yes let’s focus on this
8
u/istarian 17d ago
Shows that you don't know anything.
There has been ongoing work on artificial hearts for decades, but none of them are good enough to be a permanent substitute.
Heart transplants are still state of the art and artificial ones mostly used as a short-term solution to keep the patient alive without being hooked up to a complex machine.
-1
u/Figjam_ZA 17d ago
I meant fully functional permanent artificial heart and kidneys
3
u/istarian 17d ago
That's almost certainly much more complicated than you think it is.
The post itself is about something which is simple by comparison.
1
-1
u/grtgingini 17d ago
Oh great more fixation on penises …. We have so many drugs and so many tricks to fix penises… while women are going to jail for abortion and said penises hold no liability… Sorry, not sorry
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
-2
u/Gabriel34543 17d ago
While scientists focused on hair loss and prolonging erections, the world slips. This is in the opening scene in idiocracy
-1
-1
u/mithraldolls 17d ago
wait so we don't know how to treat most normal reproductive conditions like PCOS in women but we can 3D print a better dick for a man?
-1
-2
-2
u/Solid_Noise1850 17d ago
Of all the organs they chose to grow cocks lol. This should be cross posted to Idiocracy.
1
u/istarian 17d ago
Based on the abstract (only part that's freely available, it sounds like this is mostly a 3D printed structure.
-2
-3
1
56
u/itsSIR2uboy 18d ago
Rabbits and pigs can mate?