Bio-printing advances open door for new medical applications

International researchers have taken the next step forward in the development of bio-printing techniques for the creation of transplantable tissues and organs.

A team from the Universities of Sydney, Harvard, Stanford and MIT have for the first time been able to bio-print artificial vascular networks that mimic the body's circulatory system, which are necessary for growing large complex tissues.

They produced a multitude of interconnected tiny fibres to serve as the mould for artificial blood vessels, which was then covered with a cell-rich protein-based material, solidified by applying light to it.

In less than a week, it self-organised to form stable blood capillaries, promoting significantly better cell survival, differentiation and proliferation compared to cells that received no nutrient supply. In future, scientists hope to be able to print entire organs using this method.

Study lead author and University of Sydney researcher Dr Luiz Bertassoni said: "At the moment, we are pretty much printing prototypes that, as we improve, will eventually be used to change the way we treat patients worldwide."

3D printing offers an increasingly wide range of medical applications, with recent research resulting in the creation of replacement cartilage, devices to replicate liver functions and bespoke hip replacements.