Israeli scientists create the first 3D printed heart with blood vessels

Scientists at Israel's Tel Aviv University said they created the world's first 3D printed heart with human tissue and blood vessels.

Although the organ is about the size of a rabbit heart, researchers hope that the technology can one day be sufficiently developed to help human patients requiring a heart transplant.

Senior researcher, Tal Dvir, said that although other scientists have managed to print in 3D the structure of a heart in the past, it is the first time that someone else has been able to do this. one prints a complete heart "filled with cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers."

"Our results demonstrate the potential of our engineering approach to custom replacement of tissues and organs," Dvir said in a press release on Monday.

The scientists' research was summarized in an article published Monday in the journal Advanced Science, peer reviewed. They used adipose tissue taken from human patients to create the heart. Cellular material in the tissue has been reprogrammed to become stem cells. The remaining extracellular material – including molecules such as collagen, a protein that supports the cellular structure – has been transformed into a hydrogel. The researchers used the hydrogel as an "ink" print.

The end result was a tiny heart whose properties corresponded to the immunological, cellular, biochemical and anatomical properties of a specific patient.

This method is crucial to eliminate the risk of rejection of the implant by the patient's body, said Dvir.

The next step for the team is to grow the organs in a lab and teach them to "behave" like hearts, the researcher said. 3D printed cores of Dvir can currently contract, but the cells still need to form a pumping capacity. His team is considering eventually testing hearts on animal models.

"Perhaps, in ten years, there will be organ printers in the best hospitals in the world, and these procedures will be conducted routinely," said Dvir.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women in the United States. Sure Every year, 610,000 people die from this disease in America, or about one in four deaths. According to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services, more than 3,700 transplant candidates are currently waiting for a heart transplant in the United States.