Doctors hsuccessfully transplanted a 3d printed ear made from human cells on the face of a 20-year-old woman born with a deformed ear, a notable breakthrough in Creation of fabrics with the first procedure of its kind.

3DBio Therapeutic, a medical company specializing in the manufacture of 3D bio-printed tissue, developed the makeshift ear by printing it in the exact shape of the patient’s left ear after a surgeon removed half a gram of cartilage on the ear remnant of the woman’s microtia. Doctors surgically implanted it under the skin just above his jawbone, according to the New York Times. The new ear, transplanted in March, will continue to regenerate cartilage to give the appearance and feel of a natural ear, the New York-based company said.

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“This is a truly historic moment for patients with microtia, and more broadly, for the field of regenerative medicine, as we begin to demonstrate the real-world application of tissue engineering technology from new generation “, said Daniel Cohen, CEO of 3DBio. “We look forward to leveraging our platform to solve other high-impact unmet medical needs, such as lumpectomy reconstruction, and eventually expanding to organs.”

The scientific breakthrough comes after seven years of development and marks a beacon of hope for surgeons looking to improve organ and tissue transplants. Although the clinical trial poses risks such as health complications, doctors say the new ear is unlikely to be rejected by a patient’s body because the cell tissue belongs to it.

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Other companies have experimented with 3D printing prosthetic limbs in plastic and other lightweight materials for patients, but ear transplantation is the first known surgery to transplant 3D printed tissue made from human cells. The the company hopes to build on his success by expanding his abilities to imprint other replacement body parts, eventually creating organs such as livers or kidneys.

About 1,500 babies are born in the United States each year with microtia or anotia, rare conditions that cause the outer ear to be missing, according the American Journal of Medical Genetics. 3DBio’s clinical trial aims to transplant ears in 11 volunteers who will be followed for five years to ensure safety and cosmetic results.