Biotechnology companyMimix Biothapeuticshas announced the launch of its first acoustic bioprinter – cymatiX.
Powered by the company’s proprietary Sound Induced Morphogenesis (SIM) technology, the machine reportedly enables users to “orchestrate life with sound”. It is intended as a fast and affordable method of fabricating multi-cellular tissue constructs, and is expected to overcome some of the technical limitations currently plaguing tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and pharmaceutical research. The system is available to pre-order now, with deliveries set to begin in 2021.
Sound Induced Morphogenesis
SIM卡过程无疑是一个唯一的过程。与常规的基于挤出的生物发电机不同，Cymatix利用声波产生的共振现象在几秒钟内将生物颗粒组装成高分辨率模式。
在将培养皿中的SIM载体加载到SIM载体之前，将细胞，球体和类器官分散在水凝胶前体中。然后从下面的扬声器发出垂直振动，将盘中的单元组装成所需的图案（可以调节声音的频率以修改装配模式）。一旦模式完成，将使用光，酶或热能开始进行水凝胶内的交联，从而刺激取决于要交联的材料。以循环方式，可以将具有不同图案的多层堆叠在彼此顶部以构造3D结构。
非接触式过程非常温和，以免影响细胞的活力和代谢活性。它还允许具有定义的空间分辨率和有用的细胞密度的有组织的细胞组件。因此，该平台在研发中可能具有巨大的潜力，可以通过可访问工程的组织结构和生理上相关的体外模型产生。
Tiziano Serra, Co-Founder and CSO of mimiX, said, “Instead of having dispersed cells with low density, researchers will be able to condense cells in a very fast and gentle process through the liquid movement of all the cells via a low-frequency vertical vibration applied at the bottom of the chamber. This dynamic cell condensation is one of the critical points for the regeneration of functional tissue.”
生物打印微血管网络
The technology has already been featured in a number of scientific studies, including one titled ‘Sound-induced morphogenesis of multicellular systems for rapid orchestration of vascular networks’. In this proof of concept, despite starting off with a low cell density, the researchers were able to condense and self-pattern a set of内皮细胞和间质干细胞至create functional microvascular networks via SIM. The team ultimately concluded that SIM was viable for the application and should be explored further in the field of regenerative medicine and cell therapy.
马克·托纳（Marc Thurner）, Co-Founder and CEO of mimiX, added,“这都是关于细胞凝结和模式,these are the two secrets of life, and that is what we offer with our process, the capacity to condense and pattern. We are certain that cymatiX will offer much better performance than any other bioassembly process in the market today.”
Bioprinting is very much in its infancy, and is one of the more niche areas of additive manufacturing that still has a way to go. That being said,来自Harvard Medical Schoolrecently developed a基于藻类的新型生物互联一旦将生物打印到软组织结构中，就会表现出增强的细胞活力。该生物互包含水凝胶基质中的光合藻类和人肝细胞，并已用于制造具有栩栩如生的肝脏“小叶”的六边形结构。
在其他地方，在华盛顿州立大学，研究人员以前已经开发了soy-infused bioprinted bone-like scaffoldthat’s capable of fighting off cancer cells. By integrating soy-based chemical compounds into 3D bioprinted scaffolds, specifically, the team showed that the approach could significantly reduce the volume of bone cancer cells in samples, while minimizing harmful inflammation.
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Featured image shows the cymatiX acoustic bioprinter. Image via mimiX.
