The Future of 3D Bioprinting and Its Challenges

 by Muhammed Sahil

printhead bioprinting a square-shaped
construct in a petri dish (Philip Ezze)

3D bioprinting might be the solution to the shortage of donor organs in the future but how successful will it really turn out to be?

What is 3D bioprinting?

3D bioprinting is the use of 3D printing technology to create living tissues which can then be used for transplant purposes or for medical research. As technology progresses, we could see the printing of whole organs which are based on the patient’s own cells in order to prevent rejection (where an individual's immune system attacks the foreign tissue) which is managed through the use of immunosuppressants. Furthermore these drugs are required to take for the rest of your lives and even then organ rejection is still a possibility with an estimate of around 15-25% of patients who receive a new kidney will be rejected within a year of their transplant. A way out of this could be the use of 3D organs which are based on your own cells so aren't recognised as foreign.

How does it work?

Bioprinting begins with a 3D model of the part that needs to be created which can be generated through an MRI or CT scan of either a real body part or created by 3D modelling. The required cells taken from a patient are cultivated until there’s enough to create the bio-ink which is then transferred to the printer.  However It’s not always possible to cultivate these cells so adult stem cells may have to be used which can develop forming the cells needed for different tissues.

Based on the scans taken directly from patients, printer heads which are extremely precise, deposit the cells exactly where needed. As the hours pass by, an organic object builds up using a number of thin layers. In order to mould and stabilise the cells in the correct form, the bio printers also have to produce an organic/synthetic, gel which dissolves in order to allow the cells to attach to one another and grow. Similar cells join themselves as they naturally know which cells they need to join up with just like the development of an embryo. 

At the moment many different printers are undergoing research and development and so methods in forming these cells are different but researchers believe that the growth of bioprinting will be based on a combination of all these techniques used and more as time progresses.

 

Advantages 

As technology evolves so will bioprinting but currently these are a few of the benefits identified;

• They’re less prone to human error encouraging more patients as an alternative for donor organs if proven successful 

• Less likely to be rejected by the body as the organ is manufactured fusing your own cells 

• According to the NHS there are currently around 6000 people on the UK transplant waiting list and last year over 350 people had died whilst waiting for transplant. If 3D printing for organs is accomplished in the future then waiting lists will reduce and the number of deaths may reduce. However this is too soon to say as even then patients will be unsure whether to trust this process.

Disadvantages

• Many patients may disapprove with having an artificial organ as they think it’s unnatural

• Once entire organs are manufactured through 3D printing even if it’s proven safe and effective many patients will still feel uncertain and so stay on the waiting list for a donor organ.

• It may be difficult to maintain the correct cell environment leading to the destruction of many cells.

• If an organ failed, questions of liability will be raised potentially causing disputes between researchers/scientists and so the time to perfect this process will just keep increasing.

Overall 3D bioprinting may be  a solution for human organs but will be no easy process. The human body is so complex and unique that it will take a lot of time to replicate the many things that our body does. But even then would people be willing to have artificial tissue and organs inside their body. Will people think it’s safe? Technology continues to advance every day so although we still have a long way to go, the future of medicine is something to look forward to.