3D Printed Liver on the Horizon for 2014

3D Printed Liver on the Horizon for 2014
Dec-28-13
By developing a way to keep living cells alive longer during 3D printing, the Organovo biotech firm plans to successfully 3D print a liver by the end of 2014.

Bio-printing works by laying down layers of live cells to form a solid object (human tissue, in this example) but the technology has been hindered by the lack of a functioning vascular network to keep the cells alive. To address the problem, the team from Organovo managed to bring together fibroblasts and endothelial cells to create a network of blood vessels that allowed them to build an organ thicker than 500 microns that remained fully functional for 40 days.

The liver tissue model planned for release next year will be used only for drug research and medical studies, which is still quite noteworthy since developing new drugs is both expensive and time-consuming. The tissue will still need to undergo intensive testing and clinical trials to determine the breadth of its applications.



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[INHABITAT.COM]
[ORGANOVA]
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