3D bioprinting produces kidney tissue
A 3D bioprinting technique that fabricates kidney tissue could transform treatment of renal disease, claims a multidisciplinary team of researchers led by Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.
The multi-year project, which included members of Harvard’s John A Paulson School of Engineering & Applied Sciences (SEAS) alongside Brigham and Women’s Hospital, has culminated in the group’s suite of stem cell and bioprinting technology being licensed to San Diego-based start-up Trestle Biotherapeutics, which is seeking to commercialise it in new treatments for kidney disease and organ replacement.
According to the researchers, over half a million people in the US alone are dependent on dialysis, with 100,000 waiting for kidney transplants. Despite the need, only 20,000 transplants are performed in the country each year, with nearly 5,000 patients dying annually while awaiting treatment.
The team added that beyond kidney failure, there are over 60 genetic diseases that directly or indirectly affect renal function, many of which cannot be appropriately treated with existing therapeutics.
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