Procter and Gamble announces new 3D bioprinting research initiative

Procter and Gamble is launching a grant competition in Singapore for the purpose of furthering its understanding of 3D bioprinting.

Its partnership with Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research spans five years and will see the company spend S$60 million (29.04 million pounds) to support research institutes with viable proposals for developing effective bioprinting solutions.

Bioprinting works by taking cultured human cells and forming a bio-ink that can then be printed out into artificial organic tissue. The cosmetics industry is interested in the technique due to the possibilities it opens up for safe, ethical product testing.

This comes after fellow cosmetics company L'Oreal announced an exclusive partnership with Organovo to create 3D printed skin for cosmetic testing.

The new Singapore research project will offer a number of benefits from Procter and Gamble, allowing it to make use of the expertise that already exists among academics in this field.

Elena Lurie-Luke, heads of Procter and Gamble's global life sciences open innovation business, said: "We have a number of different in vitro skin models we're working on because we are very involved in beauty care. If companies are doing innovation and interested in new tools then bioprinting should very much be on their horizon."