Buy three-dimensional bioprinters for organ printing!
On Thursday, December 10, Invetech, an innovator in the development of products and automation tools for the biomedical, industrial and consumer markets, announced the transfer of the first commercial model of a three-dimensional bioprinter to Organovo, which patented NovoGen bioprinting technology developed by its specialists. Organovo will supply bioprinters to organizations engaged in the development of methods for the restoration of human tissues and the creation of organs for transplantation.
Dr. Fred Davis, president of Invetech, which has offices in San Diego (California) and Melbourne (Australia), noted that not so long ago, cell-by-cell reproduction of human organs seemed like science fiction. However, the use of a complex of advanced achievements of science and technology has made it possible to create a tool that will make regenerative medicine accessible to all mankind.
Keith Murphy, CEO of the San Diego-based Organovo company, said that he considers the creation of a functioning bioprinter a big breakthrough, as it will provide a technological platform for organizations working on the creation of various tissue structures and suitable for organ transplantation.
Specialists can use three-dimensional bioprinters to place cells of almost any type into the desired three-dimensional framework. For example, they can place liver or kidney cells inside a pre-formed form, or form complexes from adjacent layers of epithelial and soft stromal tissue, which will subsequently form full-fledged teeth. The ultimate idea of using bioprinters is to manufacture various organs "to order".
The three-dimensional bioprinter is equipped with software with an intuitive interface that allows specialists to create a model of a fabric structure before the printer begins to create the actual physical structure using automated, laser-calibrated print heads.
In May 2009, Organovo selected Invetech as a technology development partner. According to Murphy, Invetech employs highly qualified specialists in engineering and automation, in addition, the company's employees respect intellectual property rights and are determined to maximize the overall profit from the project.
As a result, Invetech received an order for the design and development of a highly integrated, exceptionally reliable and easy-to-use three-dimensional bioprinter suitable for industrial production and commercialization. The company's specialists not only created a device that meets all the customer's requirements, but also met both the project budget and the deadlines.
The resulting device is placed inside a standard box for sterile operation. It has two print heads, one of which is designed for applying cells, and the second for applying a hydrogel, a framework or a supporting matrix. One of the most difficult tasks faced by the developers of the bioprinter was to ensure a sufficiently small (with an accuracy of up to a micron) step between the points of successive blows of the capillary tip of the head. Compliance with this condition is necessary for the exact interposition of cells. To solve this problem, engineers have created a laser calibration system that works under the control of a computer.
During 2010 and 2011, as part of the device development program, Invetech plans to supply Organovo with a certain number of three-dimensional bioprinters. Organovo, in turn, will equip advanced research institutes around the world with systems for "printing" organs and tissues.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of R&D Mag: First commercial 3-D bio-printer makes human tissue and organs.
14.12.2009