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The future is here. At a world premiere, Israeli scientists created a living heart with a revolutionary new 3D printing process that combines human tissue from a patient.
In November, researchers at Tel Aviv University announced that they had invented the first fully customized tissue implant from biomaterials and patient cells, paving the way for new technologies to develop any type of implant. tissue from a small biopsy of adipose tissue.
A small human heart, printed in 3D, made from the patient's materials and cells. Photo via TAU
Today, these same researchers have created a real heart using their innovative process at the Laboratory of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine led by Professor Tal Dvir, Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology at Tel Aviv University. .
SEE ALSO: Israeli scientists develop tissue implants from their patients' cells
"This is the first time anyone has designed and successfully printed a complete heart with cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers," said Professor Dvir at a press conference held Monday at the university.
The process involved taking adipose tissue, after which the cellular and a-cellular materials were then separated. While cells were reprogrammed to become pluripotent and efficiently differentiated stem cells into cardiac or endothelial cells, the extracellular matrix (ECM), a three-dimensional network of extracellular macromolecules, such as collagen and glycoproteins, was transformed into a hydrogel customized. the ink print, said Tel Aviv University in a statement.
The differentiated cells were then mixed with bio-inks and were used to 3D print patient-specific, patient-specific heart patches with blood vessels and subsequently a tiny heart.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world, according to the World Health Organization. In 2016 alone, about 17.9 million people died from heart disease, the majority of the consequences of a heart attack and stroke.
Heart transplantation is currently the only treatment available for patients with end-stage heart failure. And given the lack of cardiac donors, this scientific breakthrough could pave the way for the medical world, paving the way for a potential revolution in organ and tissue transplantation.
"This heart is composed of human cells and biological materials specific to the patient. In our process, these materials serve as bio-bonds, sugars and protein-based substances that can be used for 3D printing of complex tissue models, "said Professor Dvir.
"People have already succeeded in 3D printing the structure of a heart, but not with cells or blood vessels. Our results demonstrate the potential of our approach to engineering the custom replacement of tissues and organs in the future, "he added.
Tel Aviv University explained that in the current tissue engineering process for regenerative medicine, the cells are isolated from the patient and cultured in biomaterials, synthetic or natural, derived from plants or animals, in order to be assembled in a functional fabric. After transplantation, they can induce an immune response that can lead to rejection of the implanted tissue.
Patients who receive artificial tissues or other implants often require treatment with immune suppressors, which can put the patient's health at risk.
With this development, "patients will no longer have to wait for a transplant or take medication to prevent their rejection. Instead, the necessary organs will be printed and fully customized for each patient, "said the university in a statement.
The process was described in an article titled "3D Printing of Customizable Thick and Perfect Heart Patches and Hearts" published Monday in "Advanced Science", a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
The research was conducted jointly by Professor Dvir, Dr. Assaf Shapira of the TAU Faculty of Life Sciences, and Nadav Moor, a PhD student in the lab.
In their study, the team used two models: one made from human tissue and the other from rat tissue.
During the press conference, Professor Dvir emphasized that the technology "will not be available in clinics or hospitals tomorrow, we are at the very beginning of its development". But, he said, in about a decade, as 3D printing technology evolves, hospitals and clinics can have these printers on site.
Chart via TAU
Professor Dvir explained that the heart, currently about the size of a rabbit, will have to undergo a maturation process in bioreactors – a system supporting a biologically active environment – in order to keep the cells alive and keep them alive. grow to be able to accommodate a real-sized heart. while teaching them how to organize and interact with each other and how to reach the pumping capacity.
Currently, he said, "the cells are able to contract separately but without pumping".
The printing process takes between 3 and 4 hours, but the maturation process lasts about a month, after which scientists will start testing on small animals such as rabbits and rats.
They hope this will happen in a year or two.
Dr. Shapira told NoCamels that scientists would 3D print the hearts of these respective animals from their own tissues, after which they would perform transplants and begin clinical trials.
The potential is great. According to Professor Dvir, the use of "native" patient-specific materials is crucial for successful tissue and organ engineering.
"The biocompatibility of engineering materials is crucial to eliminate the risk of implant rejection, which compromises the success of such treatments," he said. "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 3D printing of thick, vascularized and perfusable heart tissue, which perfectly matches the immunological, cellular, biochemical and anatomical properties of the patient. "
But there are also important obstacles. The first is the cost. According to Professor Dvir, the process of printing the heart would cost "a few thousand shekels" in a laboratory environment, but if the technology were to be commercialized in the future, it would probably be expensive.
Scientists will have to print a human-sized heart, which could be a challenge. "How do you print all the cells and all the blood vessels for a heart?" Asked Professor Dvir about the current resolution limits of 3D printers.
"We have to take into account the fact that 3D printing technology is also developing," he said.
"Maybe in 10 years, there will be organ printers in the best hospitals in the world, and these procedures will be done routinely," he said.
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