Inkjet Printing New Eyes

Dec-20-13 By using an inkjet printer to “print” retinal cells, researchers have brought us closer to finding a cure for blindness.

Currently still in the proof-of-concept stage, this is the first time printer technology has been successful in printing mature central nervous system cells. In their study, the team took retinal ganglion cells and glial cells, derived from the retinas of rats, and suspended them separately in carrier liquids. They then placed the mixtures into a piezoelectric inject printer fitted with a nozzle less than one millimeter wide. Applying a specific electrical pulse to the device caused the cells to be ejected from the nozzle onto a substrate.

The technology still very much a work in progress, and the team plans to investigate methods of printing other retinal cells as well as how to develop the process for multi-nozzle, commercial print heads.

More Info about this Invention:

[GIZMAG.COM]
[UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE]

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