Scientists have developed a 3D bioprinting platform that assembles functional człowiek neural tissues. The progenitor cells in the printed tissues grow to form neural circuits and make functional connections with other neurons thus mimicking natural mózg tissues. This is a significant progress in neural tissue engineering and in 3D bioprinting technology. Such bioprinted neural tissues can be used in modelling człowiek diseases (such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s etc.) caused due to impairment of neural networks. Any investigation of disease of brain requires understanding how the człowiek neural networks operate.
Biodruk 3D to proces addytywny, podczas którego odpowiedni naturalny lub syntetyczny biomateriał (biotusz) miesza się z żywymi komórkami i drukuje, warstwa po warstwie, w naturalnych trójwymiarowych strukturach przypominających tkankę. Komórki rosną w biotuszu, a struktury rozwijają się tak, aby naśladować naturalną tkankę lub narząd. Technologia ta znalazła zastosowanie m.in regeneracyjny medicine for bioprinting of cells, tissues and organs and in research as model to study człowiek ciało in vitroszczególnie człowiek system nerwowy.
Nauka o człowiek nervous system faces limitations due to unavailability of primary samples. Animal models are helpful but suffer from species-specific differences hence the imperative of in vitro modele człowiek nervous system to investigate how the człowiek neural networks operate towards finding treatments for diseases attributed to impairment of neural networks.
Człowiek neural tissues have been 3D printed in the past using stem cells however these lacked neural network formation. The printed tissue had not shown to have formed connections between cells for several reasons. These shortcomings have been overcome now.
W ostatnim badaniu Badacze chose fibrin hydrogel (consisting of fibrinogen and thrombin) as the basic bioink and planned to print a layered structure in which progenitor cells could grow and form synapses within and across layers, but they changed the way layers are stacked during printing. Instead of traditional way of stacking layers vertically, they chose to print layers next to another horizontally. Apparently, this made the difference. Their 3D bioprinting platform was found to assemble functional człowiek neural tissue. An improvement over other existing platforms, the człowiek neural tissue printed by this platform formed neural networks and functional connections with other neurons and glial cells within and between layers. This is the first such case and is a significant step forward in neural tissue engineering. Laboratory synthesis of nerve tissue that mimics brain in function sounds exciting. This progress will certainly help researchers in modelling człowiek diseases of brain caused due to impaired neural network to better understand the mechanism for finding a possible treatment.
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Referencje:
- Cadena M., i wsp 2020. Biodruk 3D tkanek nerwowych. Advanced Healthcare Materials, tom 10, wydanie 15, 2001600. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202001600
- Yan Y., i wsp 2024. 3D bioprinting of człowiek neural tissues with functional connectivity. Cell Stem Cell Technology| Volume 31, Issue 2, P260-274.E7, February 01, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2023.12.009
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