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Today, an article describing how to print 3D hearts and heart patches has been published in Advanced Science newspaper. Nicknamed a "world premiere," this research was conducted by a team of scientists from the Tel Aviv University (TAU), Israel. Certainly, it is still far from producing a viable and transplantable organ. The main achievement of this research, however, lies in the fact that it sets a precedent for future work on the exploration of highly detailed and patient-specific 3D printed fabrics.
The first printed hearts in the world in 3D
As a simple "3D printed heart," TAU's is not a first.
Thanks to the organ-on-a-chip approach, researchers have already achieved bioprinting of cardiac cells to create miniature, beating masses. Harvard University's award-winning lab Lewis Lab has also targeted the heart with its chip-based approach. In both cases, it is prudent to consider hearts more as simulations than as a reality: they are designed to screen for drugs and study cell behaviors in an environment close to reality.
The ETH Zurich Silicone Heart is demonstrative of how 3D printing can create accurate anatomical replicas, just like the work done at Phoenix Children's Hospital in Arizona. However, none of these evolutions is biological.
The first research of TAU is therefore to combine an anatomical 3D heart model and bio-links loaded with human stem cells used to make it. Talk to The Jerusalem Post, Professor Tal Dvir of TAU's School of Cell Biology and Biotechnology explains, "This is the first time anyone has been able to design and print a complete heart filled with cells, blood vessels, ventricles, and bedrooms."
"This heart is composed of human cells and biological materials specific to the patient. In our process, these materials serve as organic inks, sugar-based substances and proteins that can be used for 3D printing of complex tissue models. "
Make the heart of TAU
The TAU team uses a volumetric 3D bioimprint method in its research. To this end, the bed of the team's 3D printer houses a small cubic tank, designed to contain a gelatinous support. Bioinks are extruded directly into the required form with the help of two syringes.
Throughout this article, different bioink formulations are tested for 3D bioimpression of cardiac structures. However, the 3D printed heart of the size of a rabbit, which is one of the focal points of the study, contains cardiac muscle cells derived from stem cells (cardoimyocytes, or CM) and endolthelial cells lined with vessels. In the diagram below, (i) shows the CMs illuminated in pink and the CMs in orange. The design used to make the heart comes from Thingiverse, Anatomical human heart by 517860.
The future of artificial organs
As the final phase of the study, the heart serves as a proof of concept for the heart patches that have also been developed by the team.
As stated in the study summary, "these results demonstrate the potential of this approach for custom tissue and organ engineering or for drug screening in an appropriate anatomical structure and biochemical microenvironment specific to the patient". there is still a lot of work to be done. In one recommendation, the authors state that "strategies are needed to image the entire blood vessels of the heart and incorporate them into the blueprint of the organ".
In addition, they state that "advanced technologies to accurately print these small diameter blood vessels within thick structures should be developed".
"3D printing of customizable thick and perfused heart patches and hearts" is published in Advanced Science newspaper. The document is co-written by Nadav Noor, Assaf Shapira, Reuven Edri, Idan Gal, Lior Wertheim and Tal Dvir from Tel Aviv University.
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The selected image shows the bi-printed 3D heart of Tel Aviv University. Photo © AFP / JACK GUEZ
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