Scientists from University of Bristol have found a new bio-ink for 3D
printing with stem cells that allows printing of living tissue known as
bio-printing.
The new bio-ink contains two different polymer
components: a natural polymer extracted from seaweed and a sacrificial
synthetic polymer used in the medical industry.
"Designing the new
bio-ink was extremely challenging. You need a material that is
printable, strong enough to maintain its shape when immersed in
nutrients and that is not harmful to the cells. We managed to do this,"
said lead researcher Adam Perriman from school of cellular and molecular
medicine.
The synthetic polymer causes the bio-ink to change from
liquid to solid when the temperature is raised and the seaweed polymer
provides structural support when the cell nutrients are introduced.
"The
special bio-ink formulation was extruded from a retrofitted benchtop 3D
printer, as a liquid that transformed to a gel at 37 degrees Celsius,
which allowed construction of complex living 3D architectures," Perriman
added.
The findings, published in the journal Advanced Healthcare
Materials, could help printing complex tissues using the patient's own
stem cells for surgical bone or cartilage implants, which could be used
in knee and hip surgeries.
The team was able to differentiate the
stem cells into osteoblasts - a cell that secretes the substance of
bone cells that have secreted the matrix of cartilage and become
embedded in it - to engineer 3D printed tissue structures over five
weeks, including a full-size tracheal cartilage ring.
"What was
really astonishing for us was when the cell nutrients were introduced,
the synthetic polymer was completely expelled from the 3D structure,
leaving only the stem cells and the natural seaweed polymer," Perriman
noted.
This created microscopic pores in the structure which provided more effective nutrient access for the stem cells.
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