Researcher print an organ without using a frame

3D printing is one of the milestone inventions of the 21st century, capable to change the state of affairs in many areas of our lives including medicine. Researchers from the University of Illinois in Chicago have recently succeeded in printing a whole organ without using a frame.

Earlier, researchers had to use thin plastic threads for organ printing which were later destroyed under the influence of ultraviolet light.

It seems that the method is becoming a thing of the past now, because the staff of the University of Illinois in Chicago was able to create an organ using a new approach. Surprisingly, it took less time to do the job than under the standard arrangement.

Eben Alsberg, the project manager, suggested that tissues should be printed, as an alternative, in a hydro gel block that prevents organ deformation without interfering with cellular interaction. The substance decomposes on its own.

The new technology will make it possible to predict more accurately the time of cell maturation. Framework use also involves the risk of toxic substances occurrence and disturbance of cellular interaction. The use of hydro gel eliminates these problems.