Mar. 25, 2015 | By Alec

While numerous commercial and academic initiatives all over the world are working on exciting and innovative 3D bioprinting applications, few have been as successful as Qingdao Unique Products Develop Co.,Ltd. (Qingdao Unique). This Chinese company has previously had a lot of success with their 3D bioprinters, but are now going as far as announcing that they will be capable of 3D printing skin and corneas suitable for animal testing within just one year.

Now you might remember Qingdao Unique from their previous bioprinting successes. They released their second generation bioprinter Anyprint B01CS in October 2014, an exciting machine capable of 3D printing cartilage tissue, bio scaffolding and other organic cell structures. However, at the time Qindao representatives said 3D printing more complex structures such as corneas could take as much as five years to achieve. But now Wang Hong, the company’s chairman, has explained that their research has been progressing with such speed that it could take just one year before the first animal test take place. 3D printing human organs should, if everything goes according to plan, follow one year or two years later.

As she explained, Qingdao Unique has recently entered into a partnership with famed biomechanical expert Dai Qing Rong, who is Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering. Over the past two years they have also been extensively cooperating with various medical hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere to study organic structures such as menisci, skin, organs or tissues such as nerves, corneas and blood vessels. Of these, corneas and skin tissues should be the easiest to reproduce.

All this will be achieved with their upcoming third-generation 3D bioprinter, which is currently still under development. According to Wang Hong, it will be superior to other currently available bioprinters. "Currently the most advanced 3D bio-printer BIOPLOOTER by envisionTEC only has two print heads, while our printers have 4 printing heads, meaning that four items can be printed at the same time," she said.

Sneak peak at the third generation Anyprint 3D bioprinter.

Furthermore, the Anyprint 3D bioprinters will feature optimum conditions for cell growth. Their upcoming machine features a non-bacterial chamber with a temperature range of 0 to 50 degrees Celsius, with a humidity regulation range of 80% to 98%, and a carbon dioxide intake volume with a PH value of 7.0-7.5. The machine 3D prints biomaterial through a multipurpose electric micro syringe nozzle with a temperature range 20 up to 240 degrees Celcius, meaning it is capable of 3D printing a large variety of biomaterials for whatever purpose you have in mind. Parts can be sliced to thicknesses in the range of 5 to 100 microns.

This third generation bioprinter should be capable of overcoming traditional problems associated with artificial skins. As researchers explained to us, "Existing artificial skin is a lamellar structure, which isn’t resistant to rubbing and easily breaks when used. Through the clinical instructions given by medical experts, we use biological materials instead to print jagged bite structures and intricate 3D networks between the different layers of skin. These structures behave and function just like actual skin and once they are ready for clinical trials should greatly benefit serious burn victims."

A 3D printed cornea, with a thickness of just 100 microns

Various biological test samples, with a thickness of just 100 microns, have already been successfully made. These cell structures have been specifically designed to be compatible with the patient’s existing nervous system. For instead of 3D printing nerves, these cell structures feature tiny neural tubes that enable cells to stick to walls and form a micro environment that encourages nerve cell growth. This should prompt regeneration of damaged nerve cells in patients.

A microscopic observation of the cells' survival.

Looking for cooperation

The results are thus very promising and could be used in patients within the next couple of years. Dai Qing Rong, who has cooperated with Qindao in developing partly live cell printing argued that these bioprinted cells even pave the road towards cell regeneration technology. "Through bio 3d print technology, we can plant living cells on the surface of any type bio material and restore their growth factor. The cells can theoretically be transformed into bones, tendon, cartilage, or even into myocardial or vascular structures. It opens a new road towards regenerative medicine."

Nonetheless, even Qindao Unique is facing some significant hurdles to overcome. According to Wang Hong, several common biological materials such as collagen suffer from disappointing strength, toughness and flexibility levels. This suggests that cells for corneas, for instance, could easily tear during clinical trials. "But if the material is based on the patient’s own cells, we can hopefully avoid that problem." Further research towards that field is still needed, however.

Perhaps more pressing is a general shortage in funds. According to Wang Hong, there are more than 10 million blind people throughout the world, of which 5 million are in China alone with waiting lists for corneal transplants in the range of 3000 to 4000 a year. Wang Hong is therefore also looking to find new investment partners who share common ground with Qingdao Unique to ensure that corneal transplants can be realized that are accurate and affordable at the same time.

In that respect, the unveiling of a new National Plan by the Chinese government to heavily invest in the 3D printing industry in the coming years is excellent news. Not only, Qingdao scientists hope, will this provide them with the funds to further their research, it might also give the ‘Race with the United States’ new momentum. With a bit of luck, 3D bioprinted solutions for blind people and burn victims are just a few years away.

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

 

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alvaro wrote at 3/26/2015 7:01:35 PM:

congratulations Mr. Quingdao this is a revolution!



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