Release date: 2014-04-14
Use the printer to make a heart that beats in the body? This is not the plot of science fiction, but the subject being studied by scientists at the University of Louisville in the United States. The researchers say that this "bio-artificial heart" is expected to enter the human phase of experiment within 10 years.
The biologist Stuart Williams, who is in charge of the project, said that so far, the research team has printed human heart valves and small blood vessels in 3D printing. Experiments have shown that these small blood vessels can work normally in small animals such as mice.
The research team plans to print out the various parts of the heart in three to five years and then combine them by hand. However, the ultimate goal of this project is to print a complete heart that can be used for transplantation using human autologous cells.
The Associated Press quoted Williams as saying on the 10th that such a heart would not cause rejection problems like the heart or artificial heart donated by others, and patients do not need to take anti-rejection drugs after transplantation.
If everything goes according to plan, this bio-artificial heart is expected to enter the human experiment stage within 10 years. The first group of subjects will be heart disease patients who cannot transplant an artificial heart, such as children who cannot accept an artificial heart because of their size.
The challenge is to print the heart with 3D printing technology, which is easier said than done. Researchers say the biggest challenge they face is to make the printed cells work like real heart cells. In addition, how to keep these artificial tissues vibrating after printing is also an urgent problem to be solved.
Dr. Anthony Atala, a doctor at Wake Forest University who is trying to print kidneys using 3D printing technology, said: "The kidneys and heart are complex organs. We must supply oxygen to these (printing) organs to ensure their vitality until they can Until the body becomes a whole."
At present, many scientists are engaged in the research of artificial heart. In addition to the 3D printing approach, scientists hope to put the patient's autologous cells into a "mold" to create multiple organs, including the heart. They have used this method to make bladder and trachea and successfully transplanted to the human body.
Source: Guangzhou Daily
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