2010-06-15

3D Bio-Printer Designed To Create New Organs

'Printer' designed to create made-to-measure human organs

Doctors could one day be able to “print” new organs for transplant using a new technology, it has been claimed.


It is hoped that the development could one day mean that patients in urgent need of new organs will no longer have to join transplant waiting lists.

A prototype machine developed by the California-based regenerative medicine company Organovo is already capable of growing new arteries.

They hope that the same techniques could be used to create new organs.
It is based on 3D laser printing technology used to create new machine parts for industry.


A scientist manipulates the prototype 3D bioprinter which is already capable of making real, living arteries
The technology is based upon existing systems which create 3D models of components in industry.

The difference in bio-printing is that instead of layers of plastics, a 3D bio-printer uses layers upon layers of biological building blocks to create real, living tissue.

The concept is in its infancy but a working prototype of the first machine became available for testing at the end of last year.



3D Bio-printer



Collected from: YouTube - 3D Bio-printer


Organovo, Inc.
Regenerative medicine is a rapidly advancing field that has the potential to transform human heath care. The potential now exists to develop tissue constructs for tissue repair and organ replacement. The US Dept. of Health and Human Services predicts that "within 20 years regenerative medicine will be the standard of care for replacing all tissue/organ systems in the body in addition to extensive industrial use for pharmaceutical testing." Organovo, Inc. is dedicated to applying its breakthrough NovoGen tissue printing technology to make those goals a reality. Founded by scientists from the National Bioprinting Center, Organovo is developing proprietary technologies to deliver on this promise.

Links
  • The web page of the Frontiers in Biological Research (FIBR) National Science Foundation grant consortium.
  • Background science from the Forgacs Laboratory at the University of Missouri.
  • Professor Forgacs quoted in Nature article.
Collected from: Organovo


 BioPrinter
[...] The principle of bioprinting is illustrated below:layer-by-layer deposition of gel sheets and aggregates yields in a three dimensional cell aggregate pattern, which upon self assembly results in a living tissue structure of prescribed shape.   

 The sequence of events:
   
 Cells are packed into capillary tubes, where they form a long and firm cylinder.
    The cutter produces little cylinders of equal diameter and height, which round up into cell spheres.
    Transferred into the cartridge, these bioink particles are deposited into gel sheets layer-by- layer.




Organ Printing


Collected from: YouTube - Organ Printing


Sources
'Printer' designed to create made-to-measure human organs - Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7802698/Printer-designed-to-create-made-to-measure-human-organs.html
Doctors to be able to 'print' new organs for transplant patients | Mail Online
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1283709/Doctors-able-print-new-organs-transplant-patients.html?ITO=1490
YouTube - 3D Bio-printer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O3c3pUg0L8
Organovo
http://www.organovo.com/index.php
Welcome to the Forgacslab Website
http://forgacslab.missouri.edu/bioprinter.html
YouTube - Organ Printing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80DhBLEhdzk

Related
Organovo Develops First Commercial 3D Bio-Printer for Manufacturing Human Tissue and Organs - FierceBiotech
http://www.fiercebiotech.com/press-releases/organovo-develops-first-commercial-3d-bio-printer-manufacturing-human-tissue-and-orga
Welcome to the Forgacslab Website
http://forgacslab.missouri.edu/bioprinter.html
San Diego’s Organovo Develops Bio-Printer Technology to Engineer New Organs | Xconomy
http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2010/01/08/san-diegos-organovo-develops-bio-printer-technology-to-engineer-new-organs/
Organovo 3D bio-printer can make human tissue and organs | robaid.com - Rob Aid presents robots, gadgets. tech and bionics
http://www.robaid.com/tech/organovo-3d-bio-printer-can-make-human-tissue-and-organs.htm
Building body parts with 3D printing | In-depth | The Engineer
http://www.theengineer.co.uk/in-depth/analysis/building-body-parts-with-3d-printing/1002542.article
Organ Printing
http://organprint.missouri.edu/www/
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