3D bioprinted heart provides new tool for surgeons

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Researchers from the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, USA, have created a full-size 3D bioprinted human heart model.

Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Adam Feinberg, led the research team in using their Freeform Reversible Embedding of Suspended Hydrogels (FRESH) technique to create the model. Their paper detailing the work has been published in ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering.

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Using a specially built 3D printer, the model reportedly mimics the elasticity of cardiac tissue and sutures realistically. The culmination of two years of research, the team is hoping this latest breakthrough will hold promise for surgeons and clinicians and have long term implications for the future of bioengineered organ research.

Aiming to fill the demand for 3D printed soft polymers, the FRESH technique uses a needle to inject bioink into a bath of soft hydrogel which supports the object as it prints. Once finished, application of heat melts away the hydrogel leaving only the 3D bioprinted object.

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