Innovation of the week: A faux liver

last updated 10 January 2015

Combining nanotechnology and 3-D printing, researchers at the University of California, San Diego, revealed a new liver-like device that can remove dangerous toxins from the blood. It's a potential boon for victims of "animal stings, bacterial infections, and other toxic horrors," said Steve Dent at Engadget. Used outside the body like a dialysis machine, the device acts as a faux liver, cleansing the blood by attracting and capturing toxins. Though still in early development, a test model successfully destroyed all toxins in multiple studies.