Bio-pen for writing with stem cells
Scientists from the Center for Advanced Technologies in the field of study of Electrical Materials of the Council for Scientific Research of Australia, together with orthopedic surgeons from St. Vincent's Clinic in Melbourne, have developed a prototype device that allows surgeons to form personalized cartilage implants directly during surgery.
Bioprinters for three-dimensional printing, designed for the layered creation of tissue implants from cells of various types, can revolutionize tissue engineering. However, in certain cases, for example, such as the restoration of cartilage tissue damage, the exact geometric shape of the necessary implant can only be found out during surgery. This makes the preliminary preparation of the implant almost impossible.
The authors propose to solve this problem with the help of the so-called BioPen ("biorods") – a device that fits into the surgeon's hand and provides him with unprecedented control over the process of filling a cartilage defect with a cellular implant.
With the help of a gelatin- and hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel and a low-power light source for its solidification, BioPen ensures the maintenance of cell viability at 97%.
According to one of the leaders of the study, Professor Peter Choong from St. Vincent's Clinic, the development of such a technology is possible only with the joint work of scientists and clinicians. Clinicians should identify the problem, and scientists should develop a method to solve it.
Thanks to such cooperation, the biorhandle, made with the help of three-dimensional printing from plastic and titanium suitable for medical use, fully meets the requirements due to the peculiarities of the work of surgeons. It is small, lightweight, ergonomic and can be sterilized.
The second head of the work, Professor Gordon Wallace from the Council for Scientific Research of Australia, notes that the project to develop BioPen combines both complex tasks and huge prospects. The development of a device suitable for clinical use will provide unprecedented progress in this field of tissue engineering.
Article by Cathal D O'Connell et al. Development of the Biopen: a handheld device for surgical printing of adipose stem cells at a chondral wound site is published in the journal Biofabrication.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of Wollongong: Handheld surgical 'pen' prints human stem cells.
04.04.2016