Scientists have printed a heart from a patient’s cells
Tel Aviv University researchers using 3D printing technology have created the world’s first vascularized heart using a patient’s biological material. Scientists’ work could revolutionize transplantation.
Until now, regenerative medicine researchers have been successful in printing only simple tissues without blood vessels. However, the work of scientistsów from Tel Aviv University could be a breakthrough in organ printingów.
The tiny heart they created is vascularized, meaning it has blood vessels. Additionally, by using the patient’s biological material, the heart is immunologically compatible, comórkowym, biochemical and anatomical with the patient’s tissues, and this will avoid transplant rejection.
The results of the study appeared in „Advanced Science”.
– For the first time, it was possible to design and print a whole heart from a comórkami, blood vessels, ventricles and atria, said Prof. Tal Dvir, który led the research.
Heart disease in developed countries is one of the majoróof the causes of death zaróBoth men and women. Heart transplantation is currently the only treatment available to patientsóIn end-stage heart failure. Given the huge shortage ofór doncóin the heart, there is an urgent need to develop new methods to regenerate the diseased organ of the.
– This heart was created from human comórec and patient-specific materialóin biological. The materials served as bio-ink – substances made from sugarów and proteins, które can be used to 3D print complex tissue models – explained prof. Dvir. – In the past, printed trójdimensional heart structure, but not from a comórks or blood vessels. Our research shows the potential of the developed method – added.
The heart printed by the researchers is the size of a cherry. In size, it resembles the heart of a crólika, but as the study authors said, a full-sized human heart requires the same technology. Scientists simply did not grow enough ventricularórek to create a heart the size of a human organ.
To create the heart, the scientists took from the patient próbki of adipose tissue. The material was then isolated from living comórki, whichóre have been transformed into pluripotent comóstem cells – i.e., those from which theórych can be formed from any other comórk of the body. Extracellular matrixórkowa (ECM – extracellular matrix), tróThe jdimensional network of macromolecules, such as collagen and glycoproteins, has been transformed into a personalized hydrogel, whichóry served as „ink” printing.
Then, after mixing with hydrogel, the comórki have been transformed into a comóof heart cells or mródb membrane to create patient-specific heart fragments with blood vessels that are resistant to attacks by the patient’s own immune system, and then whole heart.
As admitted by Prof. Dvir, application of comóThe patient’s record is crucial for successful tissue and organ designóin for transplantation. – Biocompatible materialóin engineering is crucial to eliminate the risk of implant rejection, which threatens the success of such treatmentsów. Ideally, the biomaterial should have the same biochemical, mechanical and topographical properties as the patient’s own tissues – noted Prof. Dvir.
Researchers now plan to grow the printed hearts in the lab and „learning” their appropriate response – shrinking and pumping blood. The next tests will be transplants on animal models. – Perhaps in ten years there will be printers of organóIn top hospitals around the world, and these procedures will be carried out routinely – emphasized the scientist.
