Scientists have 3D printed blood vessels

Scientists have 3D printed blood vessels

Share on print Researchers are a step closer to creating artificial blood vessels that can be transplanted into humans. Image: Khademhosseini Lab Over the past decade, scientists have become a lot better at growing artificial organs, but they’ve continuously struggled with creating blood vessels, which need to be flexible and capable of delivering essential nutrients when implanted into patients. But now researchers from the Brighman and Women’s Hospital in the US have used a new technique to 3D bioprint blood vessels that could be integrated into the human body to help repair damage from accidents or disease. The results have been published online in Lab on a Chip. To make the blood vessels, the researchers first 3D printed an agarose fibre template that would create the "inside" channels of the blood vessels. They then covered this with a gelatin-like substance called hydrogel, a press release explained. "Our approach involves the printing of agarose fibres that become the blood vessel channels. But what is unique about our approach is that the fibre templates we printed are strong enough that we can physically remove them to make the channels," said Khademhosseini. "This prevents having to dissolve these template layers, which may not be so good for the cells that are entrapped in the surrounding gel." Using this approach, the team was able to use the hydrogel to construct microchannel networks with necessary architectural features, as well as superior functionality, such as mass transport and cellular viability. Most importantly, the researchers managed to successfully grow thin layers of endothelial cells, which line blood vessels in the human body, on the hydrogel. "In the future, 3D printing technology may be used to develop transplantable tissues customised to each patient's needs or be used outside the body to develop drugs that are safe and effective," said Khademhosseini.