Decoding 3D bioprinting, the technology that can print human organs!
Organ transplant, we all know, is a life-saving procedure. However, with time, the gap between the number of patients needing this procedure and the availability of human organs for a transplant has been widening. The scarcity of human organs poses a serious problem to the healthcare industry. However, a potential solution is in the offing, thanks to 3D bioprinting, a boon of technology that has still a long way to go. But can human organs be actually printed using 3D technology? How did it all start? Come, let’s find out.
Understanding bioprinting
Like 3D printing, bioprinting is a manufacturing technology that prints objects in layers using a digital file as a blueprint. But contrary to 3D printing which uses polymers, plastics, etc., bioprinters use cells and biomaterials to produce human organ-like structures that allow living cells to multiply. However, apart from artificial organ creation, bioprinting can also be used for drug development, skin grafting and healing wounds.
History of bioprinting
The 3D printing technology was applied in the healthcare industry for the first time by a team of researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. In 1999, they created hand-built urinary bladders for seven patients with the help of bioprinting and these trials were a success. However, the process was time consuming. One of the researchers from the team, Dr. Anthony Atala, felt the need of automating the process. He moved to lead the newly formed Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), North Carolina and a machine was manufactured there in 2004 make the process of creating human organs smooth and less time-consuming. Since then, scientists have been able to engineer human kidney, liver, dental implants, prosthetic jaws and blood vessels using 3D printing technology. However, it is yet to be ready for clinical use.
The first 3D bioprinted human livers and kidneys
The first commercially viable 3D-bio-printed human kidney and liver were developed by a California-based business called Organovo in 2014. Do you want to learn how this remarkable technology works? Let us break it down for you. The first step in the bio-printing process is obtaining a sample of a patient's cells to grow and develop outside the body in a sterilised environment. The cells are then given nutrients known as 'media' and mixed with a gel that acts as a glue. What is the function of the media? It provides nourishment to the cells for their growth. This combination is then fed into a printing room where the material is built up layer by layer to create tissues! Thus, a bio-printed organ is created.
A long way to go
The main difficulty that the researchers of 3D bioprinting are facing, is getting the organs to function efficiently. Despite the rapid advancements in this field, Atala and his associates at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine are sceptical about the time needed until fully functional 3D-printed organs are placed in human bodies. Even with the uncertain timescale for the use of bio-printed organs in the future, researchers are optimistic that it will be affordable.