Picture: University of Twente
A team from the University of Twente in the Netherlands has unveiled a promising development in 3D bioprinting that has the potential to significantly improve the production of vascularized tissue. Their research, recently published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, describes a novel bioink that can precisely control the growth and organization of tiny blood vessels in printed tissue. This process mimics the complex vascular networks of the human body and could enable the production of functional, long-lasting tissues.
3D-printed organs are seen as a promising approach to combating organ failure and tissue damage. However, a key problem is the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the printed tissue, which cannot be guaranteed without blood vessels. This limits the function and survival of such constructs. While previous approaches to positioning blood vessels in the printing process often caused unpredictable remodeling in the lab or in the body, the new programmable bioink offers dynamic control over the growth and adaptation of the vessels.
The Bioink developed is based on so-called aptamers, small DNA structures that can bind biochemical signals and release them in a targeted manner. This system imitates the natural function of the human body, in which tissue releases growth factors as required. This allows the growth of blood vessels to be precisely controlled and adapted to the requirements of the tissue.
“Our lab has previously developed aptamer-based technology to deliver proteins that stimulate the growth of new blood vessels”, say researchers Jeroen Rouwkema and Deepti Rana from the Vascularization Lab at the University of Twente. “But what sets this technology apart is its ability to function not only in three dimensions but also over time. We call this 4D control.”
By combining this aptamer-based technology with extrusion-based 3D bioprinting, it was possible to create a system that presents biochemical signals similar to the human body. This brings science one step closer to the development of tissues that resemble real organs in function and structure. The research combines expertise from the fields of bioengineering, tissue technology and biomaterial science and demonstrates the potential of this technology for the medicine of the future.
