Scientists '3D-print' living CARTILAGE
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Arthritis sufferers could one day replace the cartilage around their joints during a routine trip to the doctors thanks to a breakthrough in artificial tissue development.
Researchers have successfully grown living cartilage on from human stem cells using 3D printing methods of creating layers of material.
They hope to use this technique to study the disease and, one day, give doctors a tool they can use to print cartilage where it's needed inside the patient's body.
Researchers have successfully grown living cartilage, stock image pictured, from human stem cells using 3D printing methods of creating layers of material. They hope to use the cartilage to study the disease and, one day, give doctors a tool they can use to print cartilage where it's needed inside the patient's body
WHAT IS OSTEOARTHRITIS?
Cartilage is grown using stem cells. It also needs a series of biological factors that encourage the cells to grow into cartilage, and a scaffold to give the tissue its shape.
It is used to provide padding and helps limbs move more smoothly.
Osteoarthritis is caused when the cartilage around joints begins to disintegrate.
As these joints lose cartilage it causes severe pain, loss of mobility and can result in joints being replaced – sometimes on multiple occasions.
Little is known about how the disease develops and effective treatments.
Although other researchers have experimented with 3D printed cartilage, this new method uses visible light, instead of UV light which can be harmful to living cells.
'Osteoarthritis has a severe impact on quality of life, and there is an urgent need to understand the origin of the disease and develop effective treatments,' said lead researcher Dr Rocky Tuan from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
'We hope that the methods we're developing will really make a difference, both in the study of the disease and, ultimately, in treatments for people with cartilage degeneration or joint injuries.'
The cartilage is grown using stem cells. It also needs a series of biological factors that encourage the cells to grow into cartilage, plus a scaffold to give the tissue its shape.
Tuan's system uses 3D printer methods to create objects from layers of materials.
Osteoarthritis is caused when cartilage around joints, including fingers and knees, begins to disintegrate. Although other researchers have experimented with 3D printing replacement cartilage for sufferers, this new method uses visible light, instead of UV light which can be harmful to living cells
He begins by placing thin layers of stem cells on top of each other inside a chemical solution. This solution then not only mimics biological processes inside the body, it can help the layers retain their shape.
'We essentially speed up the development process by giving the cells everything they need, while creating a scaffold to give the tissue the exact shape and structure that we want,' continued Tuan.
Osteoarthritis is caused when cartilage around joints begins to disintegrate.
This causes severe pain, loss of mobility and can result in joints being replaced - sometimes on multiple occasions.
Tuan has also used the technology to produce a replica of bone and cartilage on a lab chip that he plans to use to simulate the disease and learn more about how it develops, and reacts to new drugs.
It is hoped the method could be used to provide doctors with a tool they can thread a catheter to print new cartilage where it's need inside the patient's body.
Tuan presented his findings during the Experimental Biology 2014 meeting this weekend.
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