Scientists in Canada are Developing a Bioink that Simulates Lung Tissue

3D bioprinting continues to evolve as a promising tool in the field of personalized medicine. With this in mind, researchers at McMaster University in Ontario have developed a new bioink that mimics the mechanical and structural properties of lung tissue. In other words, this bioink enables the printing of tissues capable of contracting and “breathing,” just like human lungs. At this stage, the main priority is to promote medical research and the development of treatments. However, in the longer term, scientists are considering clinical applications, including lung repair through transplantation or implantation in patients with COPD or fibrosis.

Unlike other bioinks that require low temperatures for printing and can often lose their shape after printing, this new material retains complex structures while remaining stable at body temperature. Financially supported by McMaster University in 2024, this project led to the creation of the startup Tessella Biosciences, which already has its first customers and is receiving positive feedback.

From left to right, David González Martinez and José Morán-Mirabal working with bioink for lung tissue (Photo credit: Georgia Kirkos, McMaster University)

Why Develop a Bioink for Lung Tissue?

This project was born in response to a major constraint in respiratory disease research. Jeremy Hirota, Associate Professor of Medicine at McMaster University and co-founder of the start-up, was struggling to recreate realistic cellular environments, particularly for the study of conditions such as COPD and pulmonary fibrosis. “Lungs breathe. They open and close with every breath we take,” says Hirota, “but 95 to 99 per cent of the research we do in the lab is done on hard plastic dishes, whether it’s a petri dish or a tissue culture plate. It doesn’t take a scientist to understand that this hard plastic is not what your lungs are.”