A researcher from Tel Aviv University holds the world's

[zakiyatasnim]

A modified desktop inkjet printer sprays cells instead of ink. The cells were cultured from the patient, and the structural template for the kidney was obtained from an MRI (so it is the correct size and shape). Using this technology, Atala printed and successfully transplanted a bladder for a young man named Jake back in 2001. More details in the video.



Heart

Surprisingly, the human heart could be one of the easiest organs to bioprint, as it is essentially a pump with tubes. Of course, it's not that simple, but scientists believe that humanity will learn to print hearts before kidneys or livers.

In April 2019, Israeli scientists printed the world's first 3D heart. It's still very small, about the size of a cherry, but it's capable of performing its function. The 3D heart, complete with blood vessels, uses personalized "ink" made from collagen, a protein that supports cellular structures, and other biological molecules.



"This is the first time anyone has successfully designed and uruguay number data printed a heart with cells, blood vessels, ventricles, and chambers," said Tel Aviv University scientist Professor Tal Dvir.



So far, scientists have managed to print cartilage tissue and, for example, the aortic valve, but the challenge is to create tissues with vascularization – blood vessels, including capillaries, without which organs cannot survive, let alone function.

The Tel Aviv scientists started with human fat tissue and separated the cellular and non-cellular components. They then reprogrammed the cells to become undifferentiated stem cells, which could then become cardiac or endothelial cells. The endothelium is a single layer of flat cells that lines the inside of the heart, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels. Endothelial cells perform a number of functions in the vascular system, such as controlling blood pressure, regulating blood clotting components, and forming new blood vessels.

Non-cellular materials, including a large number of proteins, were processed into a "personalized hydrogel" that served as the "printing ink."

It will be years before this technology can create organs for effective transplantation, but the achievements of scientists in Tel Aviv are a huge milestone on that path.