3D Printed Organ
Published on Nov 18, 2015
No Description
MORE DECKS TO EXPLORE
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
For years, scientists have been able to “print” types of human tissue using a 3D printer, but in a significant leap forward by US and Australian researchers they can now make that tissue survive on its own.
Photo by fdecomite
This essential process is called “vascularisation” and is necessary if researchers are to ever prevent cells from dying so they can grow large, transplantable organs.
Photo by cesarharada.com
Using a high-tech “bio-printer”, the researchers fabricated tiny, interconnected fibres to serve as the mould for the artificial blood vessels.
They then covered the 3D printed structure with a cell-rich protein-based material, which was solidified by shining light on it.
Lastly they removed the bio-printed fibres to leave behind a network of tiny capillaries coated with human endothelial cells, which formed stable blood capillaries in less than a week.
Photo by Thomas Tolkien
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Scientists need to perform CT scans or MRIs on the patient. Then, they need to run the results through computer software to create a blueprint that'll serve as their guide on how cells are positioned in each layer.
Aside from the actual organ's cells, printers could also use stem cells, bioengineered materials (like a polymer called alginate that was previously used to make aortic valve tissue) and other substitutes the human body won't reject. For instance, in 2012, a 3D-printed titanium jaw was implanted into an 83-year-old woman, while a man in the US has been walking around with a 3D-printed plastic skull since 2013.
Once a specimen is printed, it needs to go into the incubator so the cells can fuse and start working together like a real organ.
Photo by mark sebastian
