Scientists in Australia have
created brain-like tissue in the lab using a 3D printer and special bio-ink
made from stem cells. The research takes us a step closer to making replacement
brain tissue derived from a patient's own skin or blood cells to help treat
conditions such as brain injury, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and
schizophrenia. The bio-ink is made of human induced pluripotent stem cells
(iPSC), which have the same power as embryonic stem cells to turn into any cell
in the body, and possibly form replacement body tissues and even whole organs. The
team used 3D printing to make neurones involved in producing GABA and
serotonin, as well as support cells called neuroglia, they reported in the
journal Advanced Healthcare Material. In the future, they plan to print
neurones that produce dopamine.
To make the neurones, researchers
used their bio-ink to print layers of a hatched pattern to create a 5
millimetre-sized cube. They then crosslinked the cube into a firm jelly-like
substance. Growth factors and nutrients were then fed into the holes of this
spongey "scaffold", encouraging the stem cells to grow and turn into
neurons and support cells, linking up to form tissue. Waste was also removed
via the holes in the scaffold. One of the challenges of using iPSCs is that,
like embryonic stem cells, they have the potential to develop into teratomas —
disturbing looking tumours that contain more than one type of tissue type
(think toenails growing in brain tissue, or teeth growing in ovary tissue). While
this is a first step towards 3D printing of whole organs, a whole functioning
brain would be a much more complex task.
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