Scientists create 3D printed heart using patient cells

The research, carried out at Tel Aviv University (TAU) in Israel, could have major implications for cardiology, with heart disease one of the leading causes of death worldwide. While heart structures have been 3D printed in the past, they have not contained the biological intricacy of the Tel Aviv organ, which is around the size of a rabbit’s heart. The research is published in Advanced Science.

"This is the first time anyone anywhere has successfully engineered and printed an entire heart replete with cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers," said research lead Prof Tal Dvir of TAU's School of Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

For the research, a biopsy of fatty tissue was taken from patients. The cellular and a-cellular materials of the tissue were then separated. While the cells were reprogrammed to become pluripotent stem cells, the extracellular matrix (ECM), a three-dimensional network of extracellular macromolecules such as collagen and glycoproteins, were processed into a personalised hydrogel that served as the biological ink.