A heart for a dwarf
A human mini-heart was printed in Chicago
Vladimir Kuznetsov, Hi-News.ru
Modern bioprinters are already capable of quite successfully printing tissues that can even be transplanted to a person. But the printing of full–fledged organs with a complex internal structure is still a rather difficult technology to master. However, medicine does not stand still and a new development by scientists from Chicago suggests that it is quite possible that we will soon forget about the shortage of donor organs. After all, American specialists were able to print a fully functional human heart. However, so far in miniature.
This is what a printed miniature human heart looks like.
The Chicago biotech company BIOLIFE4D is behind the development. The company was founded in 2016 by people from a variety of fields: from radio electronics to medicine and stem cell reprogramming. All the specialists came together with a single goal - to reform the system of receiving donor organs by creating their artificial analogues. The first project of scientists was the creation of an artificial heart using a bioprinter.
The other day, representatives of BIOLIFE4D said that they succeeded. However, for the purposes of experiment (since this is the first such experience of the company), it was decided to print the heart in miniature. A tiny heart has the same structure and functionality as a full-sized heart. The organ itself was printed using cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) taken from a volunteer. These cells were reprogrammed so that they could be "multiplied". This approach is convenient for a number of reasons. Firstly, in this way it is possible to create the most accurate copies of cellular structures and entire organs. Secondly, if you take these cells from a hypothetical patient who needs a heart transplant and grow a new organ for him, then after transplantation the body will not reject the new heart, since at the cellular level this organ is no different from the "native" one.
It is also worth noting the fact that BIOLIFE4D earlier this year was able to print individual components of the heart, including valves, ventricles and blood vessels. Moreover, for this they did not need to take heart cells. The patient's white blood cells were enough, which were reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), which can differentiate into various types of cells, including those that were needed for the experiment.
At the moment, the company aims to print a full-size functioning human heart on a bioprinter. Of course, BIOLIFE4D is not the only company that creates organs for 3D printing. For example, researchers from Tel Aviv University also printed a heart on a 3D printer earlier this year. And experts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have managed to print complex vascular networks that are necessary to maintain the work and functioning of artificial organs. So work in this area is continuously underway and I would like to hope that very soon scientists will find a way to create full-fledged organs for transplantation and thereby save many human lives.
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