Jan.29, 2014
3D bioprinting company Organovo announced today that it has delivered its first 3D Liver tissue to a laboratory outside of the company to a key opinion leader for experimentation. Key opinion leaders are generally experts, in this case top research scientists, in a particular field whose opinions and publications will influence practice.
The target date to launch its 3D liver tissue product had been April, but Organovo achieved the milestone ahead of its target date, which is a good news for investors.
"By the end of January, we expect to have bioprinted nearly four hundred 3D Liver tissues during the month." said Organovo Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Research and Development Dr. Sharon Presnell.
Organovo also intends to launch its 3D Liver tissue and generate revenues before December 2014. Previously the company announced that it had plan to launch it by the end of December 2014. It now expects to start generating revenue through a services model earlier than the schedule.
The liver is the body's main defense against toxins. These particular 3D printed livers were able to survive for 40 days fully functioning. Additional data shows that Organovo's 3D liver tissues exhibit dose-dependent responses to acetaminophen, a known liver toxicant, and that the toxic effects can be assessed using both standard screening assays and histopathological assessment of the treated tissue. This allows pharmaceutical companies to perform early testing on potential drugs at substantial savings.
Cross-section of multi-cellular bioprinted human liver tissue, stained with hematoxylin & eosin (H&E).
Organovo's 3D Liver tissues exhibit several key features that remain stable over time:
- Tissue-like cellular density;
- Multi-layered architecture with multiple cell types positioned relative to one another, reaching up to 500 microns thickness, with tissues comprised of up to 20 cell layers;
- Albumin production 5-9 times greater than matched 2D controls, suggesting superior functionality;
- Stable albumin production for over 40 days, fibrinogen and transferrin production, and inducible cytochrome P450 enzymatic activities, including CYP 1A2 and CYP 3A4;
- Cholesterol biosynthesis, which has been demonstrated for the first time in a multi-cellular 3D human liver system in vitro;
- Evidence of the formation of tight junctions in the liver tissues, demonstrated by cadherin and claudin staining by day 3 of tissue formation; and
- Demonstration of appropriate response to hepatotoxic insults from acetaminophen, acetaminophen in combination with ethanol, and diclofenac.
In addition Organovo also plans to release additional data in 2014 on its 3D Kidney tissues and breast cancer tissues now in development.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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I want a whole new organ set I gonna live forever lol
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