UBC Okanagan’s Keekyoung Kim has great hopes for the bio-ink he is researching in his lab. (Credit: University of British Columbia)

A new bio-ink may support a more efficient and inexpensive fabrication of human tissues and organs. Using techniques like 3D printing, scientists are creating bio-material products that function alongside living cells. These products are made using a number of biomaterials including gelatin methacrylate (GelMA), a hydrogel that can serve as a building block in bio-printing. This type of biomaterial — called bio-ink — are made of living cells, but can be printed and molded into specific organ or tissue shapes.

The researchers analyzed the physical and biological properties of three different GelMA hydrogels — porcine skin, cold-water fish skin, and cold-soluble gelatin. They found that hydrogel made from cold-soluble gelatin (gelatin that dissolves without heat) was by far the best performer and a strong candidate for future 3D organ printing.

The team also demonstrated that cold-soluble GelMA produces consistently uniform droplets at temperatures, thus making it an excellent choice for use in 3D bio-printing. Three times cheaper than porcine skin gelatin, cold-soluble gelatin is used primarily in culinary applications.

Source 

Topics:
Medical

More From SAE Media Group

Tech Briefs
3D Printer Creates Complex Biological Tissues
Related Article Image
Medical Manufacturing and Machining INSIDER
3D Systems Makes Breakthrough in Bioprinting Technology
Related Article Image
Medical Design Briefs
Researchers Bioengineer 3D Implants for Tissue
Related Article Image
Medical Design Briefs
Bioprinted Patches for Heart Repair
Related Article Image