Scientists create the world's first 3D printed heart using patient cells

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have successfully printed the world's first 3D heart using a patient's own cells and biological materials to "perfectly match the patient's immunological, cellular, biochemical and anatomical properties" .

Until now, researchers were only able to 3D print only simple tissues devoid of blood vessels.

"This heart is made from human cells and biological materials specific to the patient.In our process, these materials serve as biological links, substances based on sugars and proteins that can be used for the 3D printing of tissue models. complex, "said senior researcher Tal Dvir a statement. "People have managed to 3D print the structure of a heart in the past, but not with cells or with blood vessels.Our results demonstrate the potential of our approach to engineering the personalized replacement of tissues and organs in the future. "

Describing their work in the field of advanced sciences, the research team began by performing biopsies of adipose tissue from abdominal structures known as omentum in humans and pigs. Cellular tissue materials were separated from those that were not and reprogrammed to become pluripotent stem cells, "master cells" capable of making cells from all three layers of the body with the potential to produce nondense. any cell or tissue in the body. The team then transformed the extracellular matrix – composed of collagen and glycoproteins – into a hydrogel used as a printing "ink". The cells were mixed with the hydrogel, and then differentiated into cardiac or endothelial cells (cells that line the inner surface of the blood and lymphatic vessels) to create compatible heart patches with the patient and compatible with the immune system, as well as blood vessels from "native" materials specific to the patient.

Although promising, the team quickly reminds us that their hearts are not yet ready for human transplantation.

"At this point, our 3D heart is small, about the size of a rabbit heart," Dvir said. "But big human hearts need the same technology."

For starters, creating a human heart would take a lot more time and would require billions of cells – not just millions. In addition, hearts the size of a cherry do not necessarily behave like hearts, forcing researchers to develop and "train" them more so that they are like human hearts and form a capacity to pumping. Currently, cells can contract but do not work together.

In any case, development is a decisive step for the advancement of organ transplantation. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States, heart transplants being the only treatment available for people with end-stage heart failure. Not only does a shortage of donors require the development of new strategies, but the creation of cores consistent with a patient's unique biological composition could prevent the risk of rejection.

"The biocompatibility of engineering materials is crucial to eliminate the risk of rejection of implants, which compromises the success of such treatments," said Dvir. "Ideally, the biomaterial should have the same biochemical, mechanical, and topographic properties of the patient's own tissue, here we can report a simple approach to thick, vascularized, and perfusable 3D-printed heart tissue that perfectly matches immunologic, cellular, and biochemical functions. and cellular anatomical properties of the patient. "

After having "trained" the hearts to pump efficiently, the team hopes to be able to transplant them to animals for further testing.