Chicago-based biotech company BIOLIFE4D has applied 3D technology to a small human heart. The heart was printed using patient-derived cardiomyocytes and has the same structure as a full-sized heart. It houses four main internal chambers and other structures, such as valves, that are normally found within the human heart.
BIOLIFE4D uses a proprietary bioink designed, which shares similar properties to gelatin. Then, layer by layer, the miniature device was 3D printed, supported by an additional scaffold enclosing a core. Then, the core was transferred to a bioreactor that mimics the conditions of the human body, helping the cells to fuse together and become tissue.
Scientists hope this breakthrough will provide a roadmap towards bioprinting of a full-size human heart. Meanwhile, drug companies could also use it as a tool for testing drug and drug treatments. The long-term goal is to ultimately print a full-sized human heart that can be used for transplant patients.
The company was the first bioprinted human heart tissue in June 2018. Earlier this year, it began the process of bioprinting individual heart components, including the valves, ventricles, and blood vessels. The process involves reprogramming the patient's white blood cells into pluripotent stem cells (IPS cells), which can differentiate into different types of cells, including heart cells.
It is one of many recent breakthroughs in 3D bioprinting technology. In April, the Israeli laboratory at Tel Aviv University made headlines with its miniature, identically printed 3D heart that uses the patient's own cells. Also in May, bioengineers at Rice University and the University of Washington unveiled a 3D "breathing" device that features intricate networks of blood vessels.
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