Printed Heart Model
The development of the first 3D-printed model of the heart, permeated with blood vessels, was carried out by Israeli researchers led by Professor Tal Dvir (Tal Dvir).
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people of both sexes in the United States, and the only available treatment for patients with end–stage heart failure is heart transplantation. Given the acute shortage of donors, new approaches are needed to address this problem.
Until now, scientists in the field of regenerative medicine have been successful mainly in printing simple tissues without blood vessels. This is the first time when it was possible to design and print an entire heart with cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers. The heart is made of human cells and donor-specific biological materials. In this case, these materials serve as biochernils that can be used for 3D printing of complex fabric models.
The size of the first model is about the size of a rabbit, but in the future it will be possible to print a larger model using the same technology.
In this study, a biopsy of adipose tissue was taken from donors to create a similar 3D model. Then the tissue components were divided into cellular and non-cellular. The cells were reprogrammed into pluripotent cells, and the extracellular matrix consisting of collagen and glycoproteins was processed into a hydrogel that performs the function of a biochernil.
After mixing with hydrogel, pluripotent cells effectively differentiate into different cell types. In this way, it will be possible to create patient-specific, immune-system-compatible cardiac patches with blood vessels, and then the entire heart as a whole. The use of the patient's own materials is crucial for the successful engineering of tissues and organs, as it eliminates the risk of implant rejection. According to the researchers, the biomaterial should have the same biochemical, mechanical and topographic properties as the patient's tissues.
In the future, scientists plan to "teach" 3D models of the heart to perform a pumping function, after which they will perform a series of operations to transplant 3D hearts to animals.
Elena Panasyuk, portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru / based on the materials of American Friends of Tel Aviv University: TAU Scientists Print First 3D Heart Using Patient's Own Cells and Materials.
The article by Noor et al. 3D Printing of Personalized Thick and Perfectable Cardiac Patches and Hearts is published in the journal Advanced Science.