US researchers are working on revolutionary new technology of 3D
bio-printers and 'bio-ink' to create artificial human organs and tissues
within a decade.
Scientists at the University of Iowa College of
Engineering's Center for Computer Aided Design (CCAD) are working on
projects ranging from printed circuit boards for automobiles and
aircraft to replacement parts for damaged and failing human organs and
tissue.
"Electromechanical systems are one of two current branches of the AMTecHgroup," said Tim Marler, AMTecH co-director.
"We
want to simulate, analyse and test printed circuit boards and
assemblies, because they are used in a wide range of products from
missiles to power plants to cell phones," Marler said in a statement.
"The
long-term goal of this branch is to create functioning human organs
some five or 10 years from now. This is not far-fetched," he said.
The
Biomanufacturing Laboratory at CCAD is working to develop and refine
various 3D printing processes required for organ and tissue fabrication,
AMTecH co-director Ibrahim Ozbolat said.
"One of the most
promising research activities is bioprinting a glucose-sensitive
pancreatic organ that can be grown in a lab and transplanted anywhere
inside the body to regulate the glucose level of blood," says Ozbolat.
While
bioprinters at other institutions use one arm with multiple heads to
print multiple materials one after the other, the UI device with
multiple arms can print several materials concurrently.
This
capability offers a time-saving advantage when attempting to print a
human organ because one arm can be used to create blood vessels while
the other arm is creating tissue-specific cells in between the blood
vessels.