Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in developed countries. For now, heart transplantation remains the only treatment for patients with end-stage heart failure. But the heart is a fragile organ, and the number of donors remains limited. In order to propose an alternative to the graft, scientists from the University of Tel-Aviv (Israel) worked on a human heart prototype… 3D printed. They explain their approach through a video filmed byAFPas well as an article published in the journal Advanced Science this Monday, April 15.
From human tissue and using a 3D printer, scientists managed to print a mini-heart the size of a cherry, no more than 2 cm long and 1.4 cm in diameter. “This is the first time that we have printed a heart in its entirety with its cells and blood vessels, it is also the first time that we have used material and cells from the patient”, explains to the press agency Professor Tal Dvir, director of research.
Custom structures
Indeed, the scientists used fat cells, reprogrammed into heart cells, of the person requiring a transplant. In the past, synthetic or natural elements not coming from the patient had been tested, exposing him to a risk of rejection. This time it is about creating personalized “inks” to found particularly complex biological structures. The impression is thus made in a hydrogel designed from the tissues of the recipient, which shapes a heart and its vessels perfectly compatible with it.
“While 3D printing is seen as a promising approach to designing organs in their entirety, several challenges remain”, however, note the researchers. The prototype is not yet able to beat like a real heart. It is not yet possible to connect the created network of blood vessels to the patient’s vasculature. But this Israeli mini-heart may open the door to new treatment for cardiovascular disease and help prevent transplant rejection. According to its designers, it can already “to allow testing of drugs on an appropriate anatomical structure”.
Read also :
- Ophthalmo: a human cornea printed in 3D
- New software prints hearts in 3D to facilitate surgeries
