Modern sciences – such as medicine and technology are developing at a very fast pace. The result of this development is the emergence of ever new devices, tools and techniques. The purpose of these inventions is to support not only the work of scientists and experimenters, but also practitioners. This development is so fast that things which a few years ago seemed like a pure abstraction are common now, and in some cases even commonly used in clinical practice. One of the latest techniques are 3D bioprinters.
Bioprinters are also referred to as organ printers because of the use of 3D technology which allows to create objects solely on the basis of a model that is stored in a computer program. When choosing the appropriate material, which will serve as the ink, it is possible to print almost any object.
The first printer of this type already exists. The inventors are employees of Biomedical Invetech. The 3D printer was delivered to Ogranovo, the company which is now a pioneer in the field of bio-technology printing. The printer at this stage can “print” the arteries and cartilage, and according to the experts bypass “printed” on the bio printers can be implanted in patients in the time of five years. A little longer (about ten years) we will have to wait for other much more complex structures and organs (heart, liver, bones).
The printer is equipped with two print heads which job is to put the target cells in the right place and to introduce supporting material. This material can be either collagen, growth factor or a hydrogel. This printer even has the incredible precision of up to micrometers and owing to a specially developed software “printed” tissues or organs are exactly of the expected parameters.
Currently, very first experiments with 3D bioprinters are conducted. These experiments relate to both the supporting material (research by dr Anna Gutowska of Pacific Northwest National Labolatory Richland), and the use of printers (i.a. research conducted at the Wakw Forest Medical University in the United States, the study conducted by a team of prof. Barralet Jake at McGill University in Montreal, the study conducted by a team of prof. Jeremy Mao of Columbia University or research team led by prof. Atali Anthony of Wake Forest University).
Bioprinters 3D allowing for tissues and whole organs printing may soon be a breakthrough in medicine, especially in transplantation and tissue engineering. Owing to them, the most important problems in those two fields can be solved now. First of all, the ability to “print” organs and tissues can solve the problem of waiting for a transplant. Currently this time, particularly in certain cases, is very long. In addition, organ formation in such devices with the use of live cells from the recipient organism may to a very large extent minimize and even eliminate the risk of rejection of the transplanted organ. Though bioprinters may seem like a fiction, they are a real chance for hundreds or even thousands of patients.
Written by: Sandra Kryśka, Mateusz Grajek, Anna Rej
Source:
1. http://pogodawpolsce.bloog.pl/id,332542739,title,BIODRUKARKI-MOGA-WKROTCE-ZREWOLUCJONIZOWAC-IMPLANTOLOGIE,index.html?ticaid=61002f
2. http://www.inzynieria-biomedyczna.com.pl/biomaterialy/180-biodrukarki-spojrzenie-na-transplantologie.html
3. http://dolinabiotechnologiczna.pl/nowosci/biodrukarka-3d-%E2%80%94-technologia-przyszlosci-w-terazniejszosci/
4. http://odkrywcy.pl/kat,111398,title,Biodrukarki-zbuduja-nowe-organy-i-kotlety,wid,15280092,wiadomosc.html?smg4sticaid=61002f
Would You like to now more? Watch on MEDtube.net: Human Cardiovascular System, Diseases And Heart Transplantation
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Organs from the printer
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