US-based biotechnology company FluidForm Bio has made an advancement in 3D-printing human cardiac tissue using freeform reversible embedding of suspended hydrogels (FRESH) 3D bioprinting, as detailed in a research paper published in APL Bioengineering.
The research paper, titled ‘FRESH 3D-bioprinted cardiac tissue’, a bioengineered platform for in vitro pharmacology, highlights how FluidForm has used human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) to create an accurate model for human cardiac physiology in drug development. The study was conducted in collaboration with scientists at FluidForm and Merck (MSD).
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FRESH uses an embedded printing approach with a temporary support gel that makes it possible to 3D print complex scaffolds using collagen in its native unmodified form.
In the announcement accompanying the breakthrough, FluidForm CTO and co-founder Adam Feinberg said: “We are not aware of any other biofabrication or tissue engineering approaches that can achieve comparable cell densities and uniaxial alignment on the market today, both of which contribute to a more advanced physiologic function.”
FluidForm Bio was founded in 2018, with co-founder Adam Feinberg developing the FRESH printing system in 2015 at Carnegie Mellon University. In 2021, FluidForm entered into a partnership with J&J’s medical device subsidiary Ethicon to develop 3D bioprinting solutions, utilising FluidForm’s FRESH bioprinting technology.
According to a GlobalData report, the 3D printing medical market is set to grow in the next few years, from $2bn at the end of 2022 to more than $4bn by 2026.
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By GlobalDataThere have been many developments in the field of 3D printing this year, including the collaboration between CollPlant Biotechnologies and Stratasys to develop 3D-printed breast implants, announced in April. The companies will use Stratasys’ P3 technology-based bioprinter and CollPlant’s tobacco plant-based collagen to bio-fabricate human tissues and organs, producing programmes at an industrial scale.
In May, researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK developed a path for microfluidic, 3D-bioprinted vessels, tissues, and organs. Microfluidic scaffolds can help in overcoming the challenges associated with 3D cultures, including cost and affordability, meaning shorter wait times for organ transplantation.
