英3D打印干細胞或可造人體器官

New 3D printing technique could speed up progress towards creation of artificial organs

中國日報網 2013-02-08 08:55

Scientist Dr Will Shu, from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh has lead the research into the 3D printing technique that produces clusters of stem cells

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A 3D printing technique that produces clusters of stem cells could speed up progress towards the creation of artificial organs, scientists claim.

In the more immediate future it could be used to generate biopsy-like tissue samples for drug testing.

The technique relies on an adjustable "microvalve" to build up layers of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).

Altering the nozzle diameter precisely controls the rate at which cells are dispensed.

Lead scientist Dr Will Shu, from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, said: "We found that the valve-based printing is gentle enough to maintain high stem cellviability, accurate enough to produce spheroids of uniform size, and most importantly, the printed hESCs maintained their pluripotency - the ability to differentiate into any other cell type."

Embryonic stem cells, which originate from early stage embryos, are blank slates with the potential to become any type of tissue in the body.

The research is reported today in the journal Biofabrication.

In the long term, the new printing technique could pave the way for hESCs being incorporated into transplant-ready laboratory-made organs and tissues, said the researchers.

The 3D structures will also enable scientists to create more accurate human tissue models for drug testing.

Cloning technology can produce embryonic stem cells, or cells with ESC properties, containing a patient's own genetic programming.

Artificial tissue and organs made from such cells could be implanted into the patient from which they are derived without triggering a dangerous immune response.

Jason King, business development manager of stem cell biotech company Roslin Cellab, which took part in the research, said: "Normally laboratory grown cells grow in 2D but some cell types have been printed in 3D. However, up to now, human stem cell cultures have been too sensitive to manipulate in this way.

"This is a scientific development which we hope and believe will have immensely valuable long-term implications for reliable, animal-free, drug testing, and, in the longer term, to provide organs for transplant on demand, without the need for donation and without the problems of immune suppression and potential organ rejection."

(Read by Brian Salter. Brian Salter is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

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(Source: Telegraph)

科學家稱，現在可以用3D打印技術批量制造出干細胞，這一技術將能加速實現打印人造器官的進程。

在不久的未來，這種3D打印技術可以用來制造類活組織物質，作為藥物測試的樣品。

該技術依靠可調節的“微型閥”來制造出一層層的人體胚胎干細胞。

通過改變噴嘴直徑可精確地控制干細胞產出的速度。

首席科學家、來自愛丁堡赫瑞瓦特大學的威爾?休博士說：“我們發現，這一依靠閥來調節的打印技術很溫和，能保持干細胞的高存活率，也能準確地制造出大小一致的球狀體，最重要的是，打印出的人體胚胎干細胞能保持它們的多能型，即分化成其他類型細胞的潛能。”

源自早期胚胎的胚胎干細胞就像一塊白板，有潛能成為身體內任何一種組織。

這一研究報告今日發表在《生物制造》雜志上。

研究人員表示，從長遠來看，這一新打印技術將為人體胚胎干細胞用于實驗室制造的可移植人體器官和組織鋪平道路。

3D打印出的人造器官還能讓科學家制造出更準確的人體組織模型，用于藥物測試。