Researchers have made noteworthy progress in the field of bioprinting by developing tissues that can reshape themselves due to the forces generated by living cells, akin to the natural growth observed in biological tissues during organ development. This pioneering research is mainly centered around creating heart tissues, paving the way for the potential creation of functional, bioprinted organs. Such advancements could significantly impact disease modeling, drug testing, and regenerative medicine.
A research team at University of Galway has developed a novel bioprinting technique that allows tissues to change shape as a result of cellular forces, mirroring the normal progression of organ development.
This innovative research aims to reproduce heart tissues, bringing us closer to the creation of bioprinted organs that could be functional, with wide-ranging applications in fields such as disease modeling, drug testing, and regenerative medicine.
The study was carried out by a team from the School of Engineering and CÚRAM Research Ireland Centre for Medical Devices at University of Galway and was published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.
Bioprinting technology involves the use of living cells combined with specialized “bioink” materials that bolster these cells, facilitating their attachment, growth, and maturation as they differentiate. This approach holds considerable promise for generating lab-grown organs that closely mimic human organs in terms of structure.
However, achieving fully functional organs via bioprinting remains a considerable obstacle. For instance, while bioprinted heart tissues can contract, their contraction strength is often much lower than that of a healthy adult heart.
Many conventional bioprinting methods focus on accurately replicating the final shape of an organ, like the heart, but often overlook the critical role that dynamic shape changes play during embryonic development. The heart begins as a simple tubular structure and then undergoes various transformations to reach its mature four-chambered configuration. These shape changes are essential for the growth and maturation of heart cells.
Recognizing this essential feature, the University of Galway research team has pioneered a cutting-edge bioprinting technique that incorporates these necessary shape-altering behaviors.
Ankita Pramanick, the lead author and a CÚRAM PhD candidate at University of Galway, commented: “Our research presents a novel platform that utilizes embedded bioprinting to create tissues capable of controlled and predictable 4D shape transformations driven by forces from cells. Our findings indicate that these shape transformations improve the structural integrity and functional maturity of bioprinted heart tissues.”
The study demonstrated that cell-generated forces could guide the shape transformations of bioprinted tissues, and these alterations could be regulated by modifying factors like the initial printing design and the stiffness of the bioink. The morphing process also facilitated cell alignment, enhancing the contractile strength of the tissues. Additionally, the research team created a computational model that can predict how these tissues will change their shape over time.
Professor Andrew Daly, an Associate Professor in Biomedical Engineering and a principal investigator on the project, noted: “Our findings indicate that allowing bioprinted heart tissues to adapt their shape leads to stronger and faster contractions. The limited development of bioprinted tissues has posed a significant challenge in this area, making this discovery quite promising. It allows us to create more sophisticated bioprinted heart tissues that can mature in a lab setting, more accurately resembling the structure of an adult human heart. We are excited to build on this shape-changing approach as we proceed with research funded by the European Research Council, inspired by developmental processes.”
“There are still substantial challenges ahead before we can fabricate functional tissues that are suitable for human implantation, and our ongoing work needs to delve into how we can expand our bioprinting techniques for producing larger hearts that are human-sized.
“Integrating blood vessels will be essential to support such large structures in laboratory environments, but ultimately, this breakthrough brings us a step closer to developing functional bioprinted organs, opening up promising opportunities in cardiovascular medicine.”
