The technological innovation suppresses the typical shrinkage of printed tissues in the period before transplantation
Researchers at the Technion have developed a technology for growing tissue for transplantation using solution printing. the research thatPublished in the journal Advanced Science It was led by Prof. Shulamit Levenberg and PhD student Majed Mash'or from the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering with Prof. Hatzalet Bianco-Feld and PhD student Noi Chen from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering at Wolfson University and the inter-unit program for nanosciences and nanotechnology.
Tissue printing is an innovative approach to creating tissues for transplantation. In this approach, also called bioprinting, living cells are embedded in biological ink and printed layer upon layer. The printed tissue undergoes growth for days and weeks until it is ready for transplantation.
According to Prof. Levenberg, "Many research groups around the world are working on tissue printing, but most of them focus on the printing phase and the initial product - the printed tissue. Today it is clear to us that he is no less important tissue growth phase, that is, the period between the printing and the implantation in the target organ. This is a complex period in which the printed cells divide, secrete intercellular material necessary for the existence of the tissue, bind essential bonds between them and form the tissue. One of the problems is that in this complex process the tissues tend to distort and contract in an uncontrolled manner."
The Technion researchers focused, therefore, on curbing the uneven shrinkage of the printed tissue in the weeks after printing. The solution lies in changing the medium in which the tissue is printed and grown. The new concept, print-and-grow, is based on an original medium developed by the researchers - an innovative microgel used as a support material in the process. Indeed, the new medium preserves the size of the tissue after printing and prevents it from shrinking and losing shape. This process allows Reliable and controlled production of functional tissue in the desired size and shape. Since the said material is transparent, it allows monitoring the development of the tissue through imaging.
Technion researchers hope that the new method will lead to the development of new technologies for creating tissue implants, to the development of new medicines as well as to new methods in the production of cultured meat. CarGrow's main ingredient is carrageenan (κ-Carrageenan), a substance produced from red algae and already approved as a food additive by the FDA.
About a year ago Prof. Levenberg published inAdvanced materials A breakthrough in the field of bioprinting. In the same study, she was able to create a printed "hanger" tissue based on collagen and living cells that contains major blood vessels and small blood vessels that feed the tissue and allow connection to the artery after the transplant. This allowed immediate blood flow into the engineered tissue immediately after the transplant, which accelerates and improves the absorption of the tissue in the body.
The research was supported by an ERC grant from the European Union.
For an article in Advanced Science
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