The 3D Bio-Printing Technique Could Create Artificial Blood Vessels, Organic Tissues

The University of Colorado at Boulder has developed a 3D printing technique to locally control the firmness of an object, opening up new biomedical pathways that may one day include artificial arteries and organic tissues.

The study, recently published in the journal Nature Communications, describes a layer-by-layer printing method offering programmable control of fine grain rigidity, allowing researchers to mimic complex geometry very structured blood vessels. and yet must remain foldable.

History Continues Under Advertisement

One Day Will Lead to Better, More Personalized Treatments for People with Hypertension and Other Vascular Diseases.

"The idea was to add independent mechanical properties to 3D structures that could mimic the body's natural tissues," said Xiaobo Yin, badociate professor in CU Boulder's Department of Mechanical Engineering and senior author of l & # 39; study. "This technology allows us to create microstructures that can be customized for disease models."

Cured blood vessels are badociated with cardiovascular disease, but it has always been difficult to find a solution for viable replacement of arteries and tissues.

To overcome these obstacles, the researchers found a unique way to take advantage of the role of oxygen in establishing the final form of a 3D printed structure.

"Oxygen is usually a bad thing because it causes incomplete hardening," said Yonghui Ding, a postdoctoral researcher in mechanical engineering and senior author of the study. "Here we use a layer that allows a fixed rate of permeation of oxygen."

By keeping strict control over the migration of oxygen and subsequent exposure to light, researchers have the freedom to control areas of an object that are solidified to be harder or softer, while maintaining the same overall geometry.

"This is a profound development and an encouraging first step towards our goal of creating structures that work as a healthy cell should work," Ding said.

As a demonstration, the researchers printed three versions of a simple structure: an upper beam supported by two rods. The structures were identical in shape, size and materials, but had been printed with three variations in shaft stiffness: soft / soft, hard / soft and hard / hard. The harder stems supported the upper beam while the softer stems allowed partial or full subsidence.

The researchers repeat the feat with a small Chinese warrior figure, the printer so that the outer layers remain hard while the inside remains soft, leaving the warrior with a hard outside and a tender heart, so to speak.

The table-sized printer is currently capable of working with biomaterials up to 10 microns in size, about one tenth of the width of a human hair. Researchers are hopeful that future studies will further improve capacity.

"The challenge is to create an even finer scale for chemical reactions," Yin said. "But we see tremendous opportunities for this technology and the potential for artificial tissue manufacturing."

Other co-authors of the new study include Hang Yin, Yao Zhai, and Associate Professor Wei Tan of Mechanical Engineering. The National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health funded the research.