It is very difficult to give a definite estimate as to when we can expect functioning organs to be finally produced and ready to be transplanted. The main challenge facing tissue engineers is being able to create the necessary vascular structure to supply organs with nutrients and oxygen through the blood flow, so they can thrive and survive in the long term. For example the heart requires an entire vascular tree, which is comprised of large blood vessels that branch into smaller and smaller vessels. According to the article Advances in bio-artificial and 3D-printed organs posted on the European Commission’s official website, Stuart William, executive and scientific director of the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute (US), suggests that scientists will be able to print fully functional hearts from a patient’s own cells within 10 years. The reasons to believe that it is possible truly exist – in the first half of 2013 researchers printed and implanted a portion of a heart and blood vessels in mice.
Dr. Atala, whom I mentioned numerous times throughout my blog, and his research team at Wake Forest University were able to built artificial urethras for five boys using the patients’ own cells between March 2004 and July 2007. The transplanted urethras remained functional throughout the six-year follow-up period. Thus, it has been proven that bio-artificial urethras can be used successfully in patients and could be an alternative to the current treatment, which has a high failure rate.
Another advancement in Bioprinting particularly in personalised prosthetics has been reported in Belgium in 2012. LayerWise, a Belgian metal parts manufacturer, successfully printed a jaw bone utilizing 3D technology, that was implanted into a 83-year old patient. Organovo successfully prints small pieces of blood vessel or liver tissue. Printing bigger objects and more complex structures is still a big challenge, but the company is on the right track, as the mini-vessels and mini-livers can perform most functions of the real organ.
In my next blog I would like to talk about commercializing of Bioprinting and discuss issues arising from the insufficient funding in the industry. Although Organovo is one of the most successful (now also publicly traded) commercial 3D printed tissue and organs researcher and producer, it is extremely difficult for the company to keep up with their costs – Organovo’s revenues doubled to $1.2m between 2010 and 2012 but the company’s losses increased nearly eight-fold to $9.3m in the same time period.