FRESH platform enables 3D printing of collagen (Source: Carnegie Mellon University)
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering have published a paper detailing a new technique which provides “critical steps” on the path to 3D printing a functional adult-sized human heart.
The new technique, known as Freeform Reversible Embedding of Suspended Hydrogels, or FRESH, enables the 3D printing of collagen to produce tissue scaffolds, mimicking the human body’s cellular make-up, which holds together specialised organ cells via biological scaffolds. The paper, published in Science journal earlier this month, shows how researchers were able to print pieces of the heart, such as valves or small beating ventricles, from patient-specific MRI data using collagen and living cells.
Collagen is a highly desirable but tricky material to print with due to its fluidity. FRESH allows collagen to be printed layer-by-layer, supported by a gel bath, to enable it to solidify. The support can then be removed by heating to body temperature, without risking damage to the printed collagen or cells.
The platform also allows a wide range of soft gels including fibrin, alginate, and hyaluronic acid to be 3D bioprinted, which could support several applications across the field of regenerative medicine such as wound repair. It is also completely open-source which means anyone, whether in a high school school or medical lab, could potentially build their own low-cost bioprinter.
The research is in its early stages, and there are still challenges around generating enough cells and delivering real contractile functionality of the human heart, but researchers are optimistic that FRESH will enable an adaptable platform for true functionality in bioengineering.
“It is important to understand that there are many years of research yet to be done,” says Adam Feinberg, a professor of biomedical engineering (BME) and materials science & engineering, whose lab performed this work, “but there should still be excitement that we’re making real progress towards engineering functional human tissues and organs, and this paper is one step along that path.”
