Researchers print living tissue using 3D printer

You must have read about creation of burritos, chocolates, and other things with the help of a 3D printer, but how about the printing of a living tissue using the 3D printing technology. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and MIT have created a living tissue using a 3D printer.

How the living tissue was creating using 3D printer?

The team of researchers used a RepRap 3D printer and a custom extruder head to print a filament network composed of sucrose, glucose and dextran, which was then wrapped in a bio-gel containing living cells. Once the confectionery paths dissolved, they left behind a network of artery-like channels in their void. Tissue living in the gel can then receive oxygen and nutrients through the hollow pipes.

So far the research has been promising, and has increased the number of functional liver cells the team has been able to maintain in artificial tissues. These results suggest the technique could have future research possibilities in developing lab-grown organs.

To know in detail about this research, click here.