Dr. Burcin Ekser and his research team atIndiana University School of Medicine(IUSM) have been awarded $9 million to further their 3D bioprinting research for the development of transplantable organs.
A three year deal, the money was contributed by肺生物技术PBC，全资子公司联合治疗公司(NASDAQ: UTHR), that is also使用3D系统.
At the time of the funding announcement, Dr. Esker commented, “This alliance with Lung Biotechnology will greatly enhance our ability to accomplish our ultimate goal of providing an unlimited supply of organs to save human lives.”
Highlighting the transplantable organ shortage, Dr. Esker added:
“It’s my passion because I’m a transplant surgeon; I don’t want anyone to die while they’re waiting for a transplantable organ.”
An alternative to animal testing?
Dr. Ekser and the team are responsible for IUSM’s xenotransplantation lab. Xenotransplantation is the practice of cross-species transplantation and, due to close biological similarities, the team is working develop ways of producing pig organs that can be donated to humans.
In one area of interest, the IUSM team is working withCRISPR gene editing到更适合人类移植的生物工具器官。
In a second area, the team is investigating how to use 3D bioprinting to grow organs from a sample of pig cells, eradicating the use of live animal.
Put the needle on it
3D bioprinting technology used at IUSM is the肯赞法, marketed in the Regenova 3D bioprinter fromCifuse Biomedical K.K. A “scaffold-free” approach, the Kenzan method is based on a needle array, tightly arrange into a square.
To 3D print, lab-grown cells are individually skewered on to each needle in the array, gradually building up a desired shape, e.g. a cylindrical vessel.
Neatly packed against each other, these cells naturally fuse together when left to culture, creating a complete tissue that can be removed from the needles.
这些细胞第二次留在培养物中，以填充针刺留下的空隙，从而提供完整的活组织样品。
Next, in IUSM’s work, the tissue sample is kept inside a specially designed, and3D printed bioreactor called FABRICA. With FABRICA, the scientists can replicate blood flow through the 3D bioprinted tissue and monitor its reaction.
At theUniversity of Tokyo, the same method has been used before to3D bioprint a “mini-liver”tissue sample.
五天的迷你兽人
With Kenzan 3D bioprinting, the IUSM team have proven the ability to “[3D] print the miniature pig organ models within a day, grow and mature them within five days”根据to Dr. Ekser, then test them over the course of two weeks to achieve a desired outcome. A great deal of blue-sky thinking goes into the effort at the xenotransplantation lab, and Dr. Ekser confirms the vision: “So people go to the hospital in the future, and we will print the organ you need,”
“Then we basically will not have any shortage of organs.”
Through the collaboration with Lung Biotechnology PBC the lab’s aim “is to advance the field, so we can reach that goal as soon as possible.”
肺生物技术PBC
肺生物技术PBCwas founded in 1997 to conduct research and development into ways to preserve and assess lungs for transplant. As an extension of United Therapeutics, it is also involved with the clinical trials of new drugs to treat heart disease. Adcirca, Orenitram, Remodulin and Tyvaso are some of the drugs already on the market from its parent company. And Beraprost 3, meanwhile, is a new synthesis that has been in trials since 2013.
In April 2017,3D系统announced its plans to collaborate with Lung Biotechnology PBCon developing 3D bioprinting solutions.
宣布时，3D Systems首席执行官Vyomesh Joshi, said, “We believe bioprinting is a powerful opportunity and we are uniquely positioned with the broadest portfolio of technologies to partner with companies of the caliber of United Therapeutics to provide healthcare solutions of the future.”
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Featured image shows from left to right: Lester Smith, PhD; Burcin Ekser, MD, PhD; and Ping Li, PhD of the University of Indiana’s Xenotransplantation lab. Photo by Erich Schoch/IU
