Apr. 24, 2015 | By Alec
When talking about medical applications of 3D printing technology, 3D printed prosthetics or even implants are the first to come to mind. But major pharmaceuticals manufacturer Merk & Co will be giving it a very different meaning. They have just made a deal with 3D printing researcher Organovo to use their 3D printed liver system for drug testing. This interesting application of 3D printing technology will initially be a supplement to in vitro and animal testing, but might even replace them on the long term.
Cross-section of multi-cellular bioprinted human liver tissue.
To fully understand this story, it’s important to know that the San Diego -based research center Organovo launched a very potent 3D printed product last year: the exVive3D Human Liver Tissue, a 3D bioprinted system made from human tissues. Specifically, the liver model relies on primary hepatocytes, endothelial cells and hepatic stellates. These are mixed and prepared to form a bio-ink. While not yet capable of producing actual human livers through this method, Organovo is reportedly capable of 3D printing liver systems that remain fully functional for at least 40 days. They have further argued that it’s a perfect tool for generating data in studies of liver toxicity and in helping pharmaceutical companies test the liver response of their drugs. As these are essentially human cells, the response is far more accurate than that from animal testing.
In an SEC filing made earlier this week, Organovo stated that it entered into a multi-year research collaboration agreement with Merck & Co. Much more about the practical side of the deal isn’t known yet, except that the collaboration will also involve the development of multiple custom tissue models by Oragonovo to be used in drug development. The announcement has already had excellent results on the stock market, where Organovo’s share price shot up with 18%.
This collaboration is good news for Organovo, who are expected to do well over 2015 and 2016. The launch of the exVive3D 3D printed liver system will reportedly be used as a flagship product to finance the development of the Organovo bioprinting platform, which will hopefully lead to the production of a lot more 3D printed organ structures.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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