Scottish Scientists 3D-Print Embryonic Stem Cells: Next Stop, Lab-Grown Organs
A team at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland has developed a method for 3D-printing clusters of human embryonic stem cells in a variety of sizes. Researchers have successfully printed 3D cells before, but this is the first time that embryonic cell cultures, which are especially delicate, have been built in three dimensions. Human embryonic stem cells can replicate almost any type of tissue in the human body — and the scientists at Heriot-Watt believe that lab-made versions could one day be used to make organ transplants, thereby rendering donors unnecessary. In the nearer future, 3D-printed stem cells could be used to make human tissue models for drug testing; effectively eliminating the need for animal testing.
(via Scientists 3D-print embryonic stem cells, pave the way for lab-made organ transplants)
Bioprinting Researchers Overcome Key Obstacle to Printing Blood Vessels
Bioengineers are already working on creating and assembling single layers of cells that have direct access to nutrients and oxygen — a process known as “bioprinting.”
But creating a full-fledged array of new vessels remains a major hurdle. Fluidic pressure coursing through these tiny systems can push apart their structural seams, and many cell types can’t withstand the sheer force of 3D bioprinting.
So researchers at the University of Pennsylvania decided to try a little reverse engineering. Instead of printing and layering lots of tissue and leaving hollow channels to serve as the tissue’s vasculature, they designed 3D filament networks inside a mold shaped like a vasculature system. The mold and template simply had to be removed once the cells formed a solid tissue around them.
(via Researchers a step closer to ‘printing’ new blood vessels | Cutting Edge - CNET News)
Amazing medical applications for 3-D Printing
