Researchers at Stanford University have developed software that can quickly and accurately create models of complex blood vessel systems, which can then be translated into instructions for a 3D printer.
This new technology could be a major breakthrough in 3D bioprinting for creating and transplanting organs and tissues. A major limitation in this field has been replicating the intricate network of capillaries, veins, and arteries.
The algorithm can generate vasculature "about 200 times faster" than previous methods and can be used for designing complex shapes, such as human organs. The team created a vascular tree of a human heart in five hours, a task that would have taken "months" with previous algorithms.
They designed and printed a model with 500 branches. They also built a network of 25 vessels with a 3D bioprinter and managed to keep a large number of cells alive near the vascular network.
This advancement in 3D bioprinting of blood vessels is a significant step towards creating functional and personalized organs, offering new perspectives in the field of regenerative medicine.