Scientists at the University of Twente in the Netherlands have created an advanced bioink composed of small DNA fragments for high-precision 3D printing of small blood vessels. Research results It was published In the journal Advanced Health Materials (AHM).
The development of new methods for 3D printing of organs could become a real revolution in medicine. One of the main challenges is to provide the pressed tissues with the necessary nutrients and oxygen. Without blood vessels, these tissues cannot function effectively because they do not receive enough nutrients and do not have the ability to clear “cellular waste.”
Engineers and biologists have already learned how to print blood vessels, but when they are grown in the laboratory or implanted in the body, their stability is often disrupted and the effectiveness of the tissue decreases. Dutch scientists have found a solution to this problem by developing programmable bioinks that provide dynamic control over vascular development.
These bioinks could regulate the growth and change of blood vessels over time, opening the possibility of creating more stable and durable artificial tissues. The key element of such bioinks are aptamers, which are DNA fragments that can be programmed to release biochemical signals when required.
This process mimics natural mechanisms in the body, where tissue microenvironments release growth signals only at the right moment. This approach makes it possible to control the development of blood vessels and adapt them to the needs of imprinted tissues, ensuring their survival and efficient functioning in the body.
Previously has become knownHow quickly e-cigarettes damage blood vessels.