How to 3D print human tissue - Taneka Jones
-
0:07 - 0:12There are currently hundreds of thousands
of people on transplant lists, -
0:12 - 0:16waiting for critical organs like kidneys,
hearts, and livers -
0:16 - 0:18that could save their lives.
-
0:18 - 0:20Unfortunately,
-
0:20 - 0:25there aren’t nearly enough donor organs
available to fill that demand. -
0:25 - 0:27What if instead of waiting,
-
0:27 - 0:31we could create brand-new, customized
organs from scratch? -
0:31 - 0:34That’s the idea behind bioprinting,
-
0:34 - 0:38a branch of regenerative medicine
currently under development. -
0:38 - 0:41We’re not able to print complex
organs just yet, -
0:41 - 0:45but simpler tissues including blood
vessels and tubes -
0:45 - 0:48responsible for nutrient
and waste exchange -
0:48 - 0:50are already in our grasp.
-
0:50 - 0:54Bioprinting is a biological
cousin of 3-D printing, -
0:54 - 0:57a technique that deposits layers of
material on top of each other -
0:57 - 1:02to construct a three-dimensional object
one slice at a time. -
1:02 - 1:05Instead of starting with metal, plastic,
or ceramic, -
1:05 - 1:10a 3-D printer for organs and
tissues uses bioink: -
1:10 - 1:14a printable material that
contains living cells. -
1:14 - 1:19The bulk of many bioinks are water-rich
molecules called hydrogels. -
1:19 - 1:22Mixed into those are
millions of living cells -
1:22 - 1:27as well as various chemicals that
encourage cells to communicate and grow. -
1:27 - 1:30Some bioinks include a
single type of cell, -
1:30 - 1:35while others combine several different
kinds to produce more complex structures. -
1:35 - 1:38Let’s say you want to print a meniscus,
-
1:38 - 1:40which is a piece of cartilage in the knee
-
1:40 - 1:44that keeps the shinbone and thighbone
from grinding against each other. -
1:44 - 1:47It’s made up of cells called chondrocytes,
-
1:47 - 1:51and you’ll need a healthy supply of
them for your bioink. -
1:51 - 1:55These cells can come from donors whose
cell lines are replicated in a lab. -
1:55 - 1:58Or they might originate from a
patient’s own tissue -
1:58 - 2:03to create a personalized meniscus less
likely to be rejected by their body. -
2:03 - 2:05There are several printing techniques,
-
2:05 - 2:09and the most popular is extrusion-based
bioprinting. -
2:09 - 2:13In this, bioink gets loaded into a
printing chamber -
2:13 - 2:17and pushed through a round nozzle
attached to a printhead. -
2:17 - 2:24It emerges from a nozzle that’s rarely
wider than 400 microns in diameter, -
2:24 - 2:26and can produce a continuous filament
-
2:26 - 2:29roughly the thickness
of a human fingernail. -
2:29 - 2:33A computerized image or file guides the
placement of the strands, -
2:33 - 2:37either onto a flat surface or into a
liquid bath -
2:37 - 2:41that’ll help hold the structure in place
until it stabilizes. -
2:41 - 2:45These printers are fast, producing the
meniscus in about half an hour, -
2:45 - 2:48one thin strand at a time.
-
2:48 - 2:52After printing, some bioinks
will stiffen immediately; -
2:52 - 2:56others need UV light or an additional
chemical or physical process -
2:56 - 2:58to stabilize the structure.
-
2:58 - 3:00If the printing process is successful,
-
3:00 - 3:02the cells in the synthetic tissue
-
3:02 - 3:06will begin to behave the same way
cells do in real tissue: -
3:06 - 3:10signaling to each other, exchanging
nutrients, and multiplying. -
3:10 - 3:14We can already print relatively simple
structures like this meniscus. -
3:14 - 3:18Bioprinted bladders have also been
successfully implanted, -
3:18 - 3:23and printed tissue has promoted facial
nerve regeneration in rats. -
3:23 - 3:27Researchers have created lung tissue,
skin, and cartilage, -
3:27 - 3:34as well as miniature, semi-functional
versions of kidneys, livers, and hearts. -
3:34 - 3:37However, replicating the complex
biochemical environment -
3:37 - 3:40of a major organ
is a steep challenge. -
3:40 - 3:43Extrusion-based bioprinting may destroy
-
3:43 - 3:48a significant percentage of cells in the
ink if the nozzle is too small, -
3:48 - 3:51or if the printing pressure is too high.
-
3:51 - 3:53One of the most formidable challenges
-
3:53 - 3:59is how to supply oxygen and nutrients
to all the cells in a full-size organ. -
3:59 - 4:01That’s why the greatest successes so far
-
4:01 - 4:04have been with structures
that are flat or hollow— -
4:04 - 4:07and why researchers are busy
developing ways -
4:07 - 4:11to incorporate blood vessels
into bioprinted tissue. -
4:11 - 4:14There’s tremendous potential to use
bioprinting -
4:14 - 4:16to save lives and advance our
understanding -
4:16 - 4:19of how our organs function
in the first place. -
4:19 - 4:23And the technology opens up a dizzying
array of possibilities, -
4:23 - 4:27such as printing tissues with
embedded electronics. -
4:27 - 4:32Could we one day engineer organs that
exceed current human capability, -
4:32 - 4:36or give ourselves features like
unburnable skin? -
4:36 - 4:42How long might we extend human life
by printing and replacing our organs? -
4:42 - 4:45And exactly who—and what—
-
4:45 - 4:49will have access to this technology
and its incredible output?
- Title:
- How to 3D print human tissue - Taneka Jones
- Speaker:
- Taneka Jones
- Description:
-
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-3d-print-human-tissue-taneka-jones
There are currently hundreds of thousands of people on transplant lists, waiting for critical organs like kidneys, hearts and livers that could save their lives. Unfortunately, there aren't enough donor organs available to fill that demand. What if, instead of waiting, we could create new, customized organs from scratch? Taneka Jones explores bioprinting, a new branch of regenerative medicine.
Lesson by Taneka Jones, directed by Hype CG.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:52
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Tara Ahmadinejad edited English subtitles for How to 3D print human tissue |