Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands claim to have taken on a major medical challenge: 3D printing of living tissue in just a few seconds. In a study published on August 19 on the website of the scientific journal Advanced Materials, they detail the process of this innovation that allows you to sculpt complex forms, similar to the organs of the human body, in record time.
The bio-printing of artificial tissue is not new: since the early 2000s, scientists have used this technique, especially in pharmaceutical research. But it is the ultra-rapidity of their process that Swiss and Dutch researchers put forward. "Unlike traditional bio-printing methods, which proceed slowly and layer-by-layer, our fast technique offers more freedom in design, while maintaining cell viability," says Damien Loterie, co-author of the study. .
The beginning of a project to be marketed
The method, called volumetric bioprinting (VBP), works in the following way: a laser is sent on a rotating hydrogel tube, loaded with stem cells. The energy of light accumulates in specific places, and solidifies the material according to the required shape. The 3D form can subsequently be vascularized - endowed with blood vessels - by being brought into contact with endothelial cells. The latter line the interior of the veins.
If for the moment, Swiss and Dutch scientists have succeeded in reproducing a heart valve, a meniscus and a fragment of femur, they claim that they are only at the beginning of the project. "We believe that our method should enable the manufacture of a wide range of models of high-speed cellular tissue, medical devices and custom implants," says Christophe Moser, director of the Laboratory of Applied Photonic Devices (LAPD) of the School of Lausanne. They plan to create a new company dedicated to this branch in particular, in order to commercialize their technique.
Difficult to imitate the composition of human tissues
Does this instant method promise a revolution in the world of medicine? Chantal Pichon, professor at the Center for Molecular Biophysics of Orleans, emphasizes the interest "in case of medical emergency or late diagnosis". "If researchers are able to customize the cells used in the creation of tissues, we can consider quick personalized solutions, such as skin grafts for burn victims for example," she explains to France 24.
Vianney Delplace, doctor at the RMeS laboratory (Regenerative Medicine and Skeleton) of the National Institute of Health and Medical Research, contacted by France 24, says that the technique is "undeniably innovative", and that the speed of the process is " a huge gain, especially if serial needs arise ". However, he notes some flaws. "With this fast 3D printing technique, it is not possible to control the cell density, or that of the material that surrounds the cells." The shape will be identical to that requested when printing - for example a heart valve - but the complexity of the cells inside the shape can not be completely controlled. This essential point is also mentioned in the study: "It will be important later to succeed in mimicking the heterogeneous composition of human tissue."
Vianney Delplace adds that the technique requires a particular bioencre, "which can quickly be toxic to cells" if misused. But he insists: it is an interesting tool, which could for example have its usefulness in the fast design and chain microfluidic chips, used in particular for drug testing or cancer cell analysis.