Penn State researchers have developed a 3D bioprinting technique called High-throughput Integrated Tissue Fabrication System for Bioprinting (HITS-Bio). This method allows the rapid creation of functional biological tissues, achieving speeds ten times faster than current methods while maintaining high cell viability.
HITS-Bio uses clusters of cells, known as spheroids, to create tissue with a density comparable to natural human tissue. Unlike conventional methods, which tend to damage cells or are slow to use, HITS-Bio uses a digitally controlled microphone array.
This system uses multiple nozzles capable of precise three-dimensional movement, allowing simultaneous manipulation of spheroids. This innovation allows rapid assembly of complex tissue structures with customized patterns, making it a major advance in bioprinting.
In an experiment, the researchers successfully created one cubic-centimeter of cartilage tissue using 600 spheroids in less than 40 minutes. This outperforms traditional techniques and maintains over 90% cell viability. The team also demonstrated the clinical potential of this technique by repairing bone tissue in mice.
Using HITS-Bio, microRNA-programmed spheroids are printed directly into the skull wound during surgery, accelerating bone healing. After three weeks, the wound showed a healing rate of 91%, and 96% after six weeks.
The development of HITS-Bio represents a major step towards creating lab-grown tissues and organs for medical use. Future efforts focus on integrating blood vessels into bio-printed tissues, which may expand their use in organ transplantation and improved disease modeling. This process holds the promise of revolutionizing regenerative medicine by enabling the creation of faster, more efficient tissues and organs.
Filed . Read more about 3D Printing, Medical and Medicine.
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