Ink jet printing has attracted increasing interest in recent years as a tool for medical research. The ability to precisely position pl volumes of liquid has a number of potential applications in tissue engineering. The dispensation of bioactive chemicals, e.g. adhesion and growth factors, can be used for the directed growth of nerve cells. Whole cells have been dispensed without excessive damage to their function. This leads to the possible construction of biologically active structures from cells and other materials with applications in: fundamental cell biology, cell arrays for toxicity testing, bioreactors and cell factories for pharmaceutical and tissue (cartilage) manufacture, external assist devices (e.g. next generation dialysis, and even complete organs for implantation.)