Science Highlights

Health

Ultra-fast 3D printing produces life-like organ models

Rapid method enhances cell survival, paves way toward printed organs

NIBIB-funded engineers at the University of Buffalo have fine-tuned the use of stereolithography for 3D printing of organ models that contain live cells. The new technique is capable of printing the models 10-50 times faster than the industry standard—in minutes instead of hours— a major step in the quest to create 3D-printed replacement organs.

Conventional 3D printing involves the meticulous addition of material to the 3D model with a small needle that produces fine detail but is extremely slow --taking six or seven hours to print a model of a human part, such as a hand, for instance. The lengthy process causes cellular stress and injury inhibiting the ability to seed the tissues with live, functioning cells.

3D printed model of hand — The rapid printing process can print a small model of a human hand in minutes instead of hours. *Credit: Rougang Zhao, State University of NY at Buffalo.*

The method developed by the SUNY Buffalo group, led by Rougang Zhao, PhD, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, takes a different approach that minimizes damage to live cells. The rapid, cell friendly technique is a significant step towards creating printed tissues infused with large numbers of living cells.

Instead of a needle moving across a surface slowly building the details of the 3D model, Zhao and his team members have developed a system that enables a small 10 centimeter model of a human hand, to rise—quite dramatically—out of a vat of liquid in a matter of minutes, instead of hours (see video). The stereolithographic method employs projected light at the bottom of the tank that penetrates up through the mix of hydrogel and live cells. The light polymerizes the hydrogel/cell mixture at precise positions in the model, building entire layers of the model continually—rather than one painstaking pinpoint at a time.

“This is a significant step towards the printing of biologically active 3D tissues," explained David Rampulla, Ph.D., director of the NIBIB program in Synthetic Biological Systems. “This new technique combines a hydrogel mix that is very cell friendly with the rapid printing process, which spares cells from being suspended in a cell-damaging environment for an extended period. The combination has allowed the team to introduce live cells into their 3D printed tissues with the vast majority of cells remaining alive and functional.”

With an eye on moving from small models of organs to full-sized replacement organs in the future, the engineering team successfully used the new method to print tissues containing inner branching networks that mimic blood vessels. “To keep alive cells that are deep inside a full-sized printed organ is one of the many challenges in creating functional replacement organs,” explained Zhao. “We found that our method performed well in terms of creating branched, vessel-like networks to facilitate delivery of nutrients to cells embedded throughout the printed tissue.”

Going a step further, the team then introduced live endothelial cells into the branching canals of their 3D-printed tissues. The endothelial cells adhered to the walls of the artificial vasculature and expanded to form an endothelial lining similar to that found in actual blood vessels.

The research team is now working to increase the size of the printed tissues while maintaining structural integrity and cell viability. The work is a significant step towards the lofty, yet potentially obtainable goal of many bioengineers—printing replacement organs—a biomedical advance that could save countless lives lost because of the pervasive shortage of donor organs, such as kidneys and livers.

This study was supported by National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01EB019411. The authors also acknowledge the funding support from the School of Engineering and Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo. The work was reported in Advanced Healthcare Materials.¹

This Science Highlight describes a basic research finding. Basic research increases our understanding of human behavior and biology, which is foundational to advancing new and better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. Science is an unpredictable and incremental process — each research advance builds on past discoveries, often in unexpected ways. Most clinical advances would not be possible without the knowledge of fundamental basic research.

Comments

World’s ‘best’ vaccines could soon come to poor countries

Health World’s ‘best’ vaccines could soon come to poor countries -By Vishnu /11/5/21 In the 6 months since Covid vaccines became available, those based on mRNA technology have scored top marks. So far, there are only two – made by Pfizer and Moderna – and both show 95% efficacy. Other types of vaccines are usually 80% or less efficacious. This difference affects not only the protection you get as an individual but also the protection available to the ‘herd’ or society. With a better vaccine a country can reach ‘herd immunity’ faster by vaccinating fewer people. But mRNA vaccines are still confined to the rich world. This is partly because supply is limited and those countries placed their orders first. Another reason is these vaccines get spoilt if they are not stored at extremely cold temperatures. The Pfizer shot initially required storage at -80°C. Poor countries couldn’t afford to buy specialised freezers for it in bulk. A fragile molecule Why do mRNA vaccines need ultra-cold stora

WORLD ASTHMA DAY 2021

Health WORLD ASTHMA DAY 2021 Uncovering Asthma Misconceptions World Asthma Day (WAD) (May 5, 2021) is organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma, (GINA) ( www.ginasthma.org ), a World Health Organization collaborative organization founded in 1993. WAD is held each May to raise awareness of Asthma worldwide. WHO recognizes that asthma is of major public health importance. According to WHO, it was estimated that more than 339 million people had Asthma globally (1) and there were 417,918 deaths due to asthma at the global level in 2016. (3, 4) Although asthma cannot be cured, it is possible to manage asthma to reduce and prevent asthma attacks, also called episodes or exacerbations. 1 This year’s World Asthma Day theme is “Uncovering Asthma Misconceptions”. The theme provides a call to action to address common widely held myths and misconceptions concerning asthma that prevent persons with asthma from enjoying optimal benefit from the major advances in the management of this condition

Nutrition Facts

What Is Dragon Fruit and Does It Have Health Benefits Dragon fruit is a tropical fruit that has become increasingly popular in recent years. Though people primarily enjoy it for its unique look and taste, evidence suggests it may provide health benefits as well. This article takes a look at dragon fruit, including its nutrition, benefits, and how to eat it. Share on Pintere What Is Dragon Fruit? Dragon fruit grows on the Hylocereus cactus, also known as the Honolulu queen, whose flowers only open at night. The plant is native to southern Mexico and Central America. Today, it is grown all over the world. It goes by many names, including pitaya, pitahaya, and strawberry pear. The two most common types have bright red skin with green scales that resemble a dragon — hence the name. The most widely available variety has white pulp with black seeds, though a less common type with red pulp and black seeds exists as well. Another variety — referred to as yellow dragon fruit — has yellow sk

Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep

Health Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep Anatomy of Sleep Sleep Stages Sleep mechanisms How Much Sleep Do You Need? Dreaming The Role of Genes and Neurotransmitters Tracking Sleep Through Smart Technology Tips for Getting a Good Night's Sleep Hope Through Research Where can I get more information? Introduction Sleep is an important part of your daily routine—you spend about one-third of your time doing it. Quality sleep – and getting enough of it at the right times -- is as essential to survival as food and water. Without sleep you can’t form or maintain the pathways in your brain that let you learn and create new memories, and it’s harder to concentrate and respond quickly. Sleep is important to a number of brain functions, including how nerve cells (neurons) communicate with each other. In fact, your brain and body stay remarkably active while you sleep. Recent findings suggest that sleep plays a housekeeping role that removes toxins in your brain tha

Fungal diseases

Health Fungal diseases About fungal diseases . Fungi are everywhere. Sometimes, they are too small to see with the naked eye. Fungi live: Outdoors, for example, in soil and on plants Indoors, on surfaces and in the air On people’s skin and inside the body There are millions of fungal species, but only a few hundred of them can make people sick. Molds, yeasts, and mushrooms are all types of fungi. Fungi can cause many different types of illnesses, including: Asthma or allergies. Learn more about mold and how it can affect your health. Rashes or infections on the skin and nails Lung infections (pneumonia), with symptoms similar to the flu or tuberculosis Bloodstream infections Meningitis Most common fungal diseases Fungal nail infections Common infections of the fingernails or toenails. Vaginal candidiasis Caused by the yeast Candida , also called a “vaginal yeast infection.” Ringworm A common fungal skin infection that often looks like a circular rash. Candida infections of the mo

Brain’s waste removal system

Health Brain’s waste removal system may offer path to better outcomes in Alzheimer’s therapy NIH-funded study in mice suggests lymphatic boost could help reduce amyloid buildup. Study of mouse brain shows the meningeal lymphatics system (purple and pink) could help reduce amyloid. Sandro Da Mesquita, Ph.D. Enhancing the brain’s lymphatic system when administering immunotherapies may lead to better clinical outcomes for Alzheimer’s disease patients, according to a new study in mice. Results published April 28 in Nature suggest that treatments such as the immunotherapies BAN2401 or aducanumab might be more effective when the brain’s lymphatic system can better drain the amyloid-beta protein that accumulates in the brains of those living with Alzheimer’s. Major funding for the research was provided by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, and all study data is now freely available to the broader scientific community. “A broad ra

Health info / news/

Vexplorehealth Health Information News Helpful Tips for Managing Chronic Kidney Disease Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious condition affecting 37 million U.S. adults and is often overlooked until symptoms appear. As we continue to observe National Kidney Month this March, learn how adopting a healthy lifestyle can help manage and slow the progression of CKD and its complications. Watch this video for tips to help people with CKD take charge of their kidney health.

Spinal muscular atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy Two-Month-Old Baby Battling Rare Disease To Receive World’s Most Expensive Injection Suffering from genetic spinal muscular atrophy, the baby is undergoing gene theray and will require an injection that costs Rs 16 Crores An eight-week-old baby in Britain will receive an injection that costs about Rs. 16 Crores, reports claimed. Suffering from genetic spinal muscular atrophy, Edward will have to be administered one type of gene therapy—Zolgensma to fight the rare disease. Since Britain imports the doses from the US and Europe, the injection costs a whooping a 1.7 million pounds. A disease unique to children, genetic spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), occurs due to lack of the SMN-1 gene. Symptoms of the disease include weakening of chest muscles which eventually leads to a difficulty in breathing. Interestingly, until 2017 there was no cure for the disease. Spinal Muscular Atrophy Download our Spinal Muscular Atrophy Fact Sheet Learn about MDA’s COVID-19 response W

Women crying: is it emotionally beneficial?

Do you know women will cry 4,680 times over in their adult life which is more than twice as much as men? Crying is a common human activity, and it can be triggered by many different emotions. But what do you think women crying is emotionally beneficial? According to the psychologist women are stereotypically associated with crying. It has benefit for both your mind and body. Check out all the health benefits of crying. Why do women crying have health benefits? It is said the women crying have benefit for both body and their mind. These crying benefits begin at birth with a baby’s first cry. Keep reading and learn more about the benefits of women crying. 1. Detoxifies body There are three different types of tears: Reflex tears Continuous tears Emotion tears Reflex tears are 98% water which clear debris like smoke and dust from your eyes. Emotional tears also contain stress hormones and toxins, while continuous tears also contain 98 per cent of water. When you cry, you are effectively d

Search This Blog