a look into the process of bioprinting and how it allows
scientists to make progress in many fields of health.
- Bioprinting can be used to produce inexpensive organs or bio-scaffolds, which are structures that hold stem cells, thus, increasing the supply of stored tissue and aiding in injury recovery.
- The making of organs and tissue scaffolds shortens the transplant waiting list by increasing the number of organ and tissue supply available along with providing patients with a custom solution to their health issues and eliminating the probability of further complications.
- Currently there is ongoing development in perfecting the bioprinting of functioning and adaptable kidneys and bone tissue.
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Bioprinting has enabled researchers to view tumors at a three dimensional level, allowing for more intricate understandings of how the cancerous cells work.
A specific case in early March, 2020, proves the success of a joint study between researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Icahn School of Medicine.
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This study combined conventional imaging technology and new bioprinting techniques to analyze glioblastoma cells, the most common form of brain cancer. By using bioprinting, the researchers were able to cost-effectively obtain tumor models for testing chemotherapy drugs.
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By improving the modeling for the blood-brain barrier in miniature brain systems, bioprinting has allowed scientists and researchers to be able to maximize the clinical function of drugs and perfect their treatment against Alzheimer’s.
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Bioprinting takes biomaterials such as hydrogels and combines them with cells and growth factors, which are then printed to create tissue-like structures that imitate natural tissues, this technology could be used to design patient-specific bone grafts, an area that is gaining interest from researchers and clinicians.
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Developing replacement bone tissues creates readily functional and adaptable new treatments for patients suffering from osteoporosis, arthritis, bone fractures, dental infections and craniofacial defects.
- Bioprinting can be used to print a range of 3D culture systems and human tissue models to produce better in vitro testing by generating models with improved physiological relevance and high reproducibility.
- By applying bioprinting in drug discovery and development and creating artificial tissues that behave identical to organic human cells, scientists can identify ineffective or toxic drugs earlier, preventing them from reaching humans in clinical trials and shift their resources to more promising drug candidates.
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They can also reduce the cost of drug development caused by clinical trial failures. Companies such as Organavo are re-imagining their bioprinting companies to be more tailored towards drug discovery.
