3D printing allows the heart cavity to autonomously beat for several months. Myocardial cells | Germany | Scientists
According to the latest news from the website of New Scientist in the UK, scientists from the University of Erlangen Nuremberg in Germany have developed a new technology that can 3D print miniature cardiac chambers. They have been shown to be able to beat autonomously for at least 3 months by printing the heart cavity using live human myocardial cells.
Artificial heart tissue can be made by culturing heart cells on molds or scaffolds, but this usually only allows the construction of simple shapes, such as sheets or rings. 3D printing can create more complex structures. For example, in 2019, researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel demonstrated a complete heart printed in 3D. However, it cannot beat.
New 3D printing technology allows scientists to create beating heart chambers that deliver blood to other parts of the body. The researchers created an "ink" that contains living heart muscle cells, collagen and hyaluronic acid to give the heart cavity tissue structure. They use a nozzle to inject this ink into a supporting gel, which holds it in the desired shape during printing, and then melts to leave the printed structure.
Studies have shown that using this technology can print a balloon-shaped heart cavity-like structure with a height of 14mm and a diameter of 8mm, which is about 1/6 of the size of a real human heart cavity. The heart chambers started beating a week after printing and were still beating 100 days later. Stimulant drugs can make it beat faster, just like a real heart.
The researchers hope to eventually use the technology to print a complete heart that contains all four chambers. By adding a second printing ink containing blood vessel cells, they expect the ink to grow into blood vessels in the printed heart tissue.
For nearly 20 years, heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the world, and the number of deaths has increased year by year. Many critically ill patients need heart transplants but cannot wait for a donor before they run out of life. Blood-pumping heart-mimicking devices have therefore become a research hotspot. In recent years, although there have been many breakthroughs in 3D printing of the heart, it has not yet fully simulated the fine structure and complex functions of the heart. It is hoped that the new technology will make the artificial heart more durable and solid, and one day it will replace the "original product".