The global organ shortage is a burning issue nowadays. Many patients die due to the unavailability of organs. Available surgical methods permit surgeons to realign nerve growth. However, the functionality is unassured, and the return function is never complete.
The field of tissue engineering works on possible solutions by producing the artificial tissue organ or organ substitutes as a permanent solution to replace or repair the damaged tissue or organ.
3D bioprinting is an organ manufacturing technique that uses cells and other biocompatible materials as “inks”, also known as bio-inks, to print living structures that lay down successive layers of plastics or wax which mimic the behavior of natural living systems.
The technology has entered the world of medicine through 3D printed devices like prosthetics and surgical instruments. Researchers are now testing out bio-ink as a way of printing vital organs, bones, and cartilage.
4 current developments in 3D bioprinting
Below, we discuss the four latest developments in 3D bioprinting: bones, corneas, heart, and skin.
- Bones
Nowadays, doctors treat severe fractures with artificial, cement-based materials that replace lost or broken bones.
This method prevents the growth of new bone tissues.
Using regenerative materials, a team from Swansea University in the UK has devised a bioprinting procedure to make artificial bones. Gelatin, agarose, calcium phosphate, polycarbonate, and collagen alginate are the main ingredients of this substance.
This bioprinted substance has the potential to gradually fuse with patients’ natural bones before being replaced by them.
- Corneas
Artificial corneas are made up of chemical substances like synthetic polymer or recombinant collagen; therefore, complete incorporation into the eye is not feasible.
The 3D printed corneas mimic the structure of natural corneas by using shear stress generated by the frictional force of the 3D printed process.
- Heart
American researchers have created the first fully vascularized heart model using 3D technology. The heart was developed using biomaterials to produce a structure and tissue similar to the human heart. The technology is still in its early stages.
- Skin
Wake Forest School of Medicine developed the skin 3D printing technology. With this method of printing, a small piece of skin that is only 10% the size of the burn can be used to produce sufficient cell material for 3D printing. Scanners are used to determine the size and depth of the wounds. The printer uses this information to print epidermis, dermic and hypodermic skin.
What are the biggest challenges on the road to 3D bioprinted organs?
Despite its promising rise, 3D bioprinting encounters challenges that have to do with the organ size, support of huge structures, speed, and vascularization.
- Organ size
The researchers are attempting to create miniature tissue that resembles normal tissue. However, due to their small size, many of these are unable to have an impact.
- Failure of Bioink Viscosity to support huge structures
The printing of huge structures directly relates to the requirement for low viscosity during the deposition process. Each layer must hold its shape during printing to ensure that huge structures are adequately supported. On the other hand, low viscosity bioinks practically make this impossible due to how quickly they disseminate and flow after being ejected from the nozzle.
Many new materials and methods are being developed right now to address the competing demands of viscosity. Utilizing biocompatible polymers capable of crosslinking is a well-known tactic. Research efforts concentrated on enhancing the crosslinking step’s speed, dependability, and biocompatibility. The majority of the research in this field focuses on creating new functional side groups for bioink polymers that already exist.
- Low print speed and cells maintenance
The rate at which the 3D printer constructs the tissue is a second barrier to creating massive 3D bioprinted constructions. Large structures may take hours or even days to produce because of the high resolution of 3D bioprinting, where droplets can be as thin as 20 μm in diameter.
The issue here is maintaining the cells in a physiological environment throughout the protracted printing process. As cells are delicate and sensitive to changes in their environment, this necessitates precise control over the temperature and humidity of the printed construct.
3D bioprinter improvements and increased printing speed are required for successful tissue construction.
- Insufficient tissue vascularization
The need for vasculature in large tissues is the third and most common barrier. The size of the tissue is constrained to the oxygen diffusion limit, roughly 150 μm, in the absence of vasculature, which carries nutrients and oxygen to the core of big tissues and removes waste.
There are many 3D bioprinting methods available to create artificial vasculature, such as using coaxial nozzles to create tubular structures with sacrificial cores. Still, they fail to replicate the intricate design of vasculature throughout an organ using 3D bioprinting due to its complex design.
Key players in 3D bioprinting industry and first patient to receive 3D printed ear
A recent Global 3D Bioprinting Market report identified the following companies as key players operating in the space:
Advanced Solutions Life Sciences, Allevi, Digilab, Nano3D Biosciences, Regenovo, Rokit Healthcare, TeVido BioDevices, 3Dynamic Systems, Cyfuse Biomedical K.K., Organovo, Cellink, Voxeljet, EnvisionTEC, GeSiM, Stratasys, Nano3D Biosciences, Poietis, regenHU, Biogelx, Aspect Biosystems, 3D Systems, Materialise and Solidscape.
However, it is 3DBio Therapeutics who appears as a pioneer with a clinical trial underway to treat microtia. In March 2022, the biotech company from Queens successfully implanted a 3D printed living ear on a patient. The ear was made from the patient’s cells. This transplant is part of an ongoing clinical trial including 11 patients. The company stated that the new ear will continue to regenerate cartilage tissue until it gives the look and feel of a natural ear. Both company officials and doctors agree that the new ear is not likely to be rejected since the cells originated from the patient’s tissue.
All you need to remember about 3D bioprinting
- 3D bioprinting offers a huge potential in the field of organ transplantation and regeneration. It represents a unique opportunity to reduce the risk of graft rejection by building tissue using the bottom-up technique.
- Compared to manual tissue culture methods, 3D bioprinting techniques provide viable and high-throughput tissue printing with improved spatial control and accurate cell patterning.
- With the 3d bioprinted technique, the possibility of personalized treatment is high. And personalized treatment translates to better clinical outcomes.
- However, research teams have to address many challenges. They need to do further research to understand biocompatibility, integration of organs with the body, bioprinted material, and other areas so that 3D printed organs save lives.
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Sources:
https://www.idtechex.com/en/research-article/challenges-on-the-road-to-3d-bioprinted-organs/11400
https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/3d-bioprinting-market-170201787.html
https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/analysis/future-of-3d-bioprinting/
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmech.2020.589171/full
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/02/health/ear-transplant-3d-printer.html
https://3dbiocorp.com/patients/
https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-3d-bioprinting-market