American biophysicists from Carnegie Melon University in Pittsburgh have developed a technology to print complex and anatomically precise blood vessels using ice matrices. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine International Biophysical Society.
Modern tissue engineering does a poor job of producing the naturally occurring arteries and capillaries necessary for implants to function properly in the body.
To solve the problem, scientists devised a method based on using ice from a liquid called heavy water, in which hydrogen atoms are replaced by the isotope deuterium atoms. Heavy water freezes at lower temperatures and has a fairly uniform structure in the solid state.
3D printed templates are embedded in GelMA gelatin material. Then, under the influence of ultraviolet light, the gelatin hardens and the liquid filling it melts, leaving blood channels in the material.
According to the researchers, it is possible for a blood network consisting of endothelial cells to grow in the resulting gaps, similar to vascular tissue.
Previously, scientists for the first time printed 3D printed edible cheesecake.