Medicine, Technology

One small step. One critical step.

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I’ve written about 3D printing for medical applications.  And, we are making progress.  But, the biggest issue precluding their become a reality to produce viable organs is the need to provide blood and nutrients- i.e., perfusion.  That’s why folks have developed scaffolding systems (for information on scaffolding, click here)  to develop the network of blood vessels necessary.   Once that threshold is crossed, organs like the bioartificial kidney would be possible (as described here).   The issue is generally that constructing these hollow channels into blood vessels tend to leak or rupture at the structural seams.

Well leave it to innovative bioengineers.  Who understand that the essence of creativity is to use a technique that has proven useful in one area to solve a problem in a completely different area.  (Yes, that has been the secret of my creative inventions for decades…)  Drs. Jordan Miller, Christopher Chen (both of U Pennsylvania, the latter a PhD/MD from MIT/Harvard), Kelly Stevens, and Sangeeta Bhatia (the former from MIT, with Bhatia also a PhD/MD from MIT/Harvard) did just that. And, with help from other researchers at their respective institutions (Michael Yang, Brendon Baker, Duc-Huy Nguyen, Daniel Cohen, Esteban Toro, Peter Galie, Xiang Yu, Ritika Chaturvedi from Penn and Alice Chen from MIT), they presented their results in Nature Materials.The researchers solved the problem by employing the concept of lost-wax casting (cire perdu), one used to make sculptures for thousands of years.  (Here is a link to a short [5 minute] YouTube video describing the Lost Was casting technique.)

What these four talented researchers did was to work on developing the vasculature first- before designing any subsequent artificial organs. And, they needed the perfusion system to be rigid enough to keep its three-dimensional shape, be compatible with 3D printing systems, and have the mold dissolve away with no resulting toxicity for the remaining cells. And, they did do that- using mixtures of dextran, sucrose, and glucose for the structural components, RepRap (open source 3D printer), a custom extruder, and software to control the process.   Once the sugar mixture is removed (through channels in the system), perfusion can then provide the nutrients and oxygen to the cells.  In other words, instead of using wax in the cire perdu process, the researchers used sugars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VHFlwJQIkE&feature=player_embedded#!

This is another video that explains the process, using the cire perdu concept.

Like would be true for glass, this sugar structure is both stiff at room temperature and translucent.  There was no implantation done for this stage of the study; instead, the researchers proved the concept that they can perfuse a potential organ.  And, this is part of their effort to develop an artificial liver.  Moreo9ver, thanks to this novel concept, plenty of other organs should now be possible!

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16 thoughts on “One small step. One critical step.”

  1. You know I already love the concept of the 3D printing and all the ways you’ve shared it, but this one has to be my favorite. This is Star Trek stuff 🙂 made real. Between this and a study I read about not long ago similar to this, but using a person’s own stem cells to “grow organic” replacements, but it held hands with the 3D printer in that a similar technology was used form and shape the organ. In that case it replaced a trachea I believe, so there was a real world test done. Those two techs will save thousands of lives a year, and more if you factor in that there will be fewer rejections along the way and fewer side meds required, that also tend to limit life expectancy. Three cheers, Roy. Three Cheers for this advancement.
    Lisa Brandel recently posted..Heart A Glow by Lisa Brandel

    1. Lisa:
      These 3D printers (ok, assembly devices) are going to revolutionize a whole bunch of industries and artistry. I can see new kinds of people entering into the arts, as well. Folks like me who love sculptures but could never get our clumsy hands to shape the clay and metals needed to make the devices. But, I can now sculpt the concept on a computer and have the 3D printer deliver ‘my mind’s eye” to my hands- and my art collection.

      Roy

  2. This is an amazing example of the miracles of modern medicine. I have very little knowledge about the subjects that were presented in this post, but I found the video very informative. I have never seen a real 3D printer so this video really helped me understand how all this works.
    Thanks for keeping us updated on this research, Roy.
    Janette Fuller recently posted..Book Review: The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

    1. Yes, Janette, this certainly is an example of the medicine-technology interface. And, those videos were, indeed, critical to get the concept across. I’m thrilled that you liked them.
      Thanks for your visit, comment, and approbation!

      Roy

    1. Thanks so much for your visit and comment, Lynn.
      This is pretty exciting stuff- for those who are involved in the field- and for anyone who may know someone who could use (which, unfortunately, could be almost any one of us) such a development.

      Roy

  5. Roy: Fascinating information even for a non-scientist, like myself. This type of technology, I feel, is vital considering the shortage of organ donors versus the extensive waiting list of those needing transplants. Imagine the lives that could be saved! Hats off & huge kudos to the creative geniuses that dare to dream & persevere to make those dreams a reality!

    1. Lynn:
      It’s not even just for lack of organ donors. These devices, made either with stem cells or cells from the patient’s body, should obviate the rejection phenomena- which means no anti-rejection drugs are required for the rest of one’s life. Making the process safer and cheaper.

      Roy

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