
Asian Scientist (Aug. 13, 2013) – Scientists in Australia have used 3-dimensional (3D) printing technology to grow new cartilage from stem cells for treating cancer, osteoarthritis and traumatic injury.
In work led by Associate Professor Damian Myers of St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, scaffolds fabricated on 3D printing equipment were used to grow cartilage over a 28-day period from stem cells that were extracted from tissue under the knee cap.
Professor Myers said this was the first time true cartilage had been grown, as compared to “fibrocartilage”, which does not work in the long-term.
“We are trying to create a tissue environment that can ‘self-repair’ over many years, meaning the repaired site will not deteriorate,” he said.
“It’s very exciting work, and we’ve done the hard yards to show that what we have cultured is what we want for use in surgery for cartilage repair.”
Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) Director Professor Gordon Wallace and his team developed customized fabrication equipment to deliver live cells inside a printed 3D structure. This cutting edge technology was utilised to deliver 3D printed scaffolds on which the cartilage was grown.
The research, which will soon move to pre-clinical trials to demonstrate repair of cartilage, is part of a wider limb regeneration project that aims to eventually use a patient’s own stem cells to grow muscles, fat, bone and tendons.
Professor Wallace and his team are also working to develop custom-made 3D printed human organs.
“By 2025, it is feasible that we will be able to fabricate complete functional organs, tailored for an individual patient,” he said.
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Source: University of Wollongong; Photo: adamjtaylor/Flickr/CC.
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