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Researchers 3D-Print Heart From Human Patient's Cells
Researchers have 3D-printed a heart using a patient's cells, providing hope that the technique could be used to heal hearts or engineer new ones for transplants. "This is the first time anyone anywhere has successfully engineered and printed an entire heart replete with cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers," Professor Tal Dvir of Tel Aviv University's School of Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology said in a statement. Dvir is senior author of the research, published Monday in the journal Advanced Science. CNN reports: The process of printing the heart involved a biopsy of the fatty tissue that surrounds abdominal organs. Researchers separated the cells in the tissue from the rest of the contents, namely the extracellular matrix linking the cells. The cells were reprogrammed to become stem cells with the ability to differentiate into heart cells; the matrix was processed into a personalized hydrogel that served as the printing "ink."
The cells and hydrogel were first used to create heart patches with blood vessels and, from there, an entire heart. Next, the researchers plan to train the hearts to behave like hearts, Dvir explained. "The cells need to form a pumping ability; they can currently contract, but we need them to work together." If researchers are successful, they plan to transplant the 3D-printed heart in animal models and, after that, humans.
The cells and hydrogel were first used to create heart patches with blood vessels and, from there, an entire heart. Next, the researchers plan to train the hearts to behave like hearts, Dvir explained. "The cells need to form a pumping ability; they can currently contract, but we need them to work together." If researchers are successful, they plan to transplant the 3D-printed heart in animal models and, after that, humans.
I see they haven't figured out how to print nerves yet.
After I wrote that sentence, I thought, how the hell does a heart transplant work since all the nerves had been cut. Apparently, the nerves degenerate immediately and the heart just runs on autopilot. They can't feel angina or other heart problems.
Just about 70% will eventually see new nerve growth however over a long period of time.
So yeah, they have to learn to print nerves unless they intend this to be bio-mechanical in some way.
The article I read after writing the initial sentence, it's a bit out of most of our fields, but is still fairly easy to interpret. I found it a fascinating read on a subject I have only passing familiarity with. (Once trained as a Medical Assistant. Then Hillary Clinton, the day Bill was elected said "health care reform." No one knew what it would entail, and the jobs dried up for about two years and I became a mechanic instead. My tale of woe for your entertainment)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5210323/
Donald Trump, on a crusade to make Nixon look respectable
Perfection is often a goal to disaster.
Good Enough is actually a better goal. Then with improvements later on.
Lets say this new 3d heard will work 75% as well as a healthy human heart transplant. So the patient may not be able to run sprints or marathons, but it is better then their own heart that is working at 25% of normal.
Animal Testing then human trials are part of the course. I am not sure what you are expecting a 100% effective human heart to be implanted perfectly without any testing?
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Link without paywall: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.co... (paper is open access)
A guy puts wings on a bicycle and it's pretty useless. Until a few months later he decides to put a gasoline engine and a propeller on it too. Science is often done in iterations...
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.