Thanks to the use of biological material of a patient and of their own cells, scientists from the University of Tel Aviv (Israel) have managed to create for the first time a heart with blood vessels, ventricles, and cameras the size of a rabbit's organ with a 3D printer. This is the first time in the history of science that a complete heart has been successfully designed and printed. This breakthrough is as impressive as it is promising, and could revolutionize the field of organ transplants in the medium term.
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The printing process entails a fatty tissue biopsy which envelops the abdominal organs. The researchers have managed to separate the cells from the tissue of the extracellular matrix that binds the cells. These cells are reprogrammed to become stem cells and they also differ from the cardiac ones. After this, the matrix is processed in a customized hydrogel that serves as "ink" for printing.
According to the researchers, the process of cell maturation takes place for about a month, after which the heart may start to beat and contract. This technique could begin to be applied in animals very soon but not even in people. The impression of a human heart could take a whole day and would need billions of cells, compared to those that have been used to print the rabbit's mini heart.
All the cardiovascular diseases They are the main cause of death today. Heart transplantation is the only way to treat heart failure in advanced and terminal stages, which highlights the importance of developing techniques such as 3D printing.