Create a 50 micron organization that functions similar to living tissue with 3D printers

A substance similar to living tissue was created by the research of Oxford University. Organizations that are designed to roll up with the crunches like flowers close the petals will be used in the medical field by delivering medicines to the necessary parts of the human body or being replaced with damaged cells.

3D printer can build synthetic tissues - University of Oxford
http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2013/130405.html


Tissue is a combination of thousands of small water droplets wrapped in lipid membranes and can play the same role as the functions of several human tissues. This "droplet network" is completely artificial and does not duplicate itself, so in medicineInduced pluripotent stem cellsYou can use it if you have problems, in the future it will be delivered to the necessary parts of the human body or replaced with damaged cells.


The droplet is 50 microns in diameter and is five times larger than the living cell. Hagan Bayley of the University of Oxford said, "In this experiment I found that it is possible to create a network of tens of thousands of small drops of water," the research says to make substances similar to living tissues It is intended not to aim but to produce substances that can carry out functions that can be performed by living tissue. In addition, small droplets can be made with protein pores, and electric signals can be transmitted like nerves.


Since it was impossible to create such an organization with conventional 3D printers, the research team built a new 3D printer in the laboratory. After 3D printing, the organization is designed to round a flat form like a flower bud, this movement, which is similar to muscle contraction movementCapacity osmolarityIt is born by the difference.

This is a newly constructed 3D printer.


The way the organization changes shape can be seen from the following movie.

3D Printed Synthetic Tissues - YouTube


The simulation at design time is like this.

3D Printer Simulation showing network folding into hollow ball - YouTube