> Precise Bio has reported the first successful human implantation of its 3D-printed cornea implant, constructed of functional human eye cells cultured in a laboratory.

The company described the procedure as the world’s first—and a major milestone toward its goal of alleviating the long wait times for people seeking transplants and faced with a lack of available donor tissue.

According to North Carolina-based Precise Bio, its robotic bio-fabrication approach could potentially turn a single donated cornea into hundreds of lab-grown grafts.

It estimates that there is currently only one available cornea for every 70 patients who need one to see.