Print my Heart
Written by Joanna Carbajal
Bioprinting has received a lot of attention due to the mind-blowing innovations. Can you 3D print a heart?
While most bioprinting is in the research stage, the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio used additive manufacturing to print a heart for Ethan, a boy with a congenital heart defect called heterotaxy syndrome. While they didn’t put a 3D printed heart in his body, they used the replica made of flexible resin to help the doctors think about the correct way to proceed with the surgery. They were able to physically hold the heart in their hands. They could cut it open, see what was wrong with Ethan and know what to expect. Such surgery saved his life and has allowed him to do normal day-to-day activities, which is something he could not do before.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo 3D printed a liver. The 3D printed liver lasted over seven weeks maintaining drug metabolizing functions and was able to secrete bile acid. After eleven weeks, the liver was able to regulate the production of glucose when given insulin. As technology advances, 3D printed livers will help research the effects of drugs in the liver and determine the causes of liver diseases.
There have been many other bioprinting advances. For example, Organovo uses bioprinting to create human tissues that imitate the native tissues’ form and function. Scientists at the Sichuan University 3D printed blood vessels, using stem cell-based organic material, and embedded them into monkeys. There was no organ rejection from the monkeys. Additive manufacturing has also made skulls, ears and even faces.
Do you frequently forget to take your supplements? MultiplyLabs has developed a solution. You take one pill per day tailored to your needs. They created the first personalized supplement using additive manufacturing. They modify the structure of the capsule to customize the timed release of the supplements in your body. A normal capsule is a solid piece. MultiplyLabs is modifying the layer height and thickness of every direction of the pill.
Bioprinting continues to develop, but there are challenges including bio-ink sticking to itself to hold the desired printed gel structure. A popular bioprinting material is hydrogel, which is a gel in which the swelling agent is water and the network is polymer-based. Researchers are currently experimenting to find ways to use additive manufacturing for life-changing processes. The future seems optimistic for bioprinting. Instead of testing cosmetics on animals, one will be able to 3D print skin. One will also be able to 3D print livers so that pharmaceutical companies can test their drugs. People that suffer burns will be able to have 3D printed skin. If someone needs an organ, 3D printed organ transplants will become available.
References
“How 3D Bioprinting Could Revolutionize Organ Transplant”
“Scaffold-free 3D printed liver tissue helps University of Tokyo researchers test new drugs”
“3D Printed Heart Saves Boy with Congenital Heart Defect”
“3D Printed Organs Could Soon be Real with Bio-Ink Breakthrough”
“3D Printing Scaffolds with Hydrogel Materials for Biomedical Applications”
