3D Printed Blood Vessels, A Step Towards Artificial Organs

The shortage of organs available for transplantation remains a major issue: demand far exceeds supply. In the United States, there are more than 100,000 people on organ transplant lists, and some might wait years to receive one, if they survive the wait. Faced with this shortage and the risks associated with graft rejection, regenerative medicine is exploring innovative solutions. In particular, scientists are striving to create tailor-made organs, produced from a patient’s own cells, to respond more rapidly and efficiently to needs.

Researchers at Stanford University recently reached a key milestone. They developed an advanced technique enabling blood vessels to be designed and 3D printed with great precision and speed. This breakthrough addresses one of the major challenges in creating personalized organs from a patient’s cells.

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Complex Blood Vessels Recreated Using 3D Printing

For an organ to function, blood must circulate from large arteries to tiny vessels, where it feeds the cells. Cells need to be very close to the capillaries to survive – sometimes less than a hair’s breadth away, especially in organs like the heart. In one cubic millimeter of heart tissue, there can be over 2,500 capillaries, all connected to each other before leaving the organ. As each organ has a unique shape, creating a suitable network of vessels is complex and slow. Until now, researchers have often used simple, standard vascular models, effective for small tissues but unsuitable for larger, more varied organs.