The achievement opens new avenues in regenerative medicine.
Scientists also printed βιοπÏοσθετικοÏÏ‚ tissues bone, cartilage, muscle and ear.
When the printed tissues are transplanted into laboratory animals (mice and rats), ripened gradually into fully functional tissues and developed a system of blood vessels and nerves.
Currently, the printed organs and tissues have been transplanted only in animals.
Although further improvements are needed, before the printed tissues are transplanted into humans (in less than a decade), the new bio-printer thing has now overcome many of the up to now technical obstacles.
So, can produce structurally stable tissues in any shape and size, which -and this is great progress – it is possible to replenish with nutrients and oxygen once transplanted in the body.
The researchers made the relevant publication in the journal biotechnology “Nature Biotechnology”.
The research is funded by the Institute of Regenerative Medicine of the Armed Forces of the united states, with the goal of replaced organs of injured soldiers, according to the Athenian Agency.
The so-called “biomechanical tissue” (tissue engineering) is a constantly evolving scientific field, designed in the laboratory creation of tissues and organs, in order to solve the problem of lack of sufficient organs for transplants.
The new “Integrated Printing System of Tissues and Organs” (Integrated Tissue and Organ Printing System – ITOP), developed by the team of Atala, after an effort of ten years, prints successive layers of biodegradable materials like plastic (polymer) that form a frame with the shape of the tissue, and a hydrogel that contains the corresponding cells.
The printing process doesn’t cause any damage to living cells.
The printing system ITOP is powered with data from ct and mri scans so that the printed organs to have the desired dimensions.
A specialized computer software guides the printing.
If you help us print-on-demand, live, ears, bones, cartilage and muscles
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