CELLINK announces new six-printhead 3D bioprinting platform

Swedish 3D bioprinter and materials developer CELLINK has announced the launch of BIO X6, a new six-printhead bioprinting system that allows the combination of multiple materials, cells and tools. It also features an intelligent exchangeable printhead system and CELLINK’s patented Clean Chamber Technology to enhance advanced research and clinical applications.  “Being able to use different […]

Sharing Knowledge With CELLINK’s Ambassador Program

Creating a sharing ecosystem for research projects in bioprinting is key to making scientific findings reproducible and enabling fellow scientists and engineers to contribute to the evergrowing biotechnology community worldwide.  With this networking need in mind, 3D bioprinting system pioneer CELLINK created the Ambassador Program, a hub to learn, discover, facilitate opportunities and build relationships that encourage anyone using CELLINK’s bioprinters and bioinks to “show the world what they are up to”.

The paradigm in research is shifting everywhere, people today are keen on sharing their investigations, contributing to open research data registries and interacting globally to come up with better solutions. CELLINK expects many breakthroughs in bioprinting might arise from the program’s networking and innovative way to contribute research. Support for open science can lead towards greater collaborations and openness, especially for disciplines that traditionally tended to be more closed off to the general population.

Back in 2015, Erik Gatenholm worked with co-founder Hector Martinez to create a universal bioink that anyone working with bioprinting could use. Once they realized the enormous potential of the product they developed, CELLINK was born, becoming the first startup to commercialize a universal bioink for bioprinting of human tissues and organs. Today the biotechnology company continually researches and develops bioprinters and bioinks, serving the healthcare sector globally.

In the fall of 2018, a new project took on the challenge of creating a sharing infrastructure across the CELLINK research and sciences community. The CELLINK Ambassador initiative has over 100 researchers from around the world submitting their work for broadcast on their own network along with creating international media buzz, together with coverage of a broad range of bioprinting topics from regenerative medicine to bioengineering course content.

“Our CELLINK Ambassador Program is a vital part of CELLINK to help understand how our technology is being utilized and what we can do to assist our community in reaching their goals. Whether it’s adding new features to an existing product, developing new technology, connecting researchers who could benefit from a collaboration and everything in between. We want to facilitate a network to learn from and provide support to,” explained Ariel Kramer, Chief Communications Officer of CELLINK, to 3DPrint.com.

The CELLINK Ambassador Program is a community connecting researchers in the bioprinting field with opportunities to showcase their work and network with other scientists. According to Kramer, there is no other club or community like this with the purpose to collaborate with other researchers using the firm’s technology so they can assist one another and network. Whether they are using CELLINK’s bioprinters or bioinks, the Ambassador Program inspires interaction between users promoting their innovative work in the field.

Scientists and engineers working with CELLINK technology will be able to enter the program and share their work by sending photos or videos of their ongoing investigations and then they will get to:

  • Showcase their research
  • Gain opportunities to find careers or collaborations
  • Explore the Ambassador network

This sharing initiative has received strong support from students and professors working in the biomedical field of many universities and institutions. “We are thankful for all that you do and look forward to showing the bioprinting community what we are working on at the University of Kansas Medical Center,” said CELLINK Ambassador A.J. Mellott, Research Assistant Professor in Genetics and Bioengineering at the University of Kansas, who is using CELLINK’s BIO X user friendly bioprinter for upcoming experiments.

CELLINK Ambassador A.J. Mellott giving a BIO X demo in his lab.

So far, the CELLINK Ambassador program has facilitated several internships and job opportunities for researchers in the community. The company aims to provide a network that can support one another as well as keep the community and public informed about the innovative work being done in bioprinting.

“I started out making fun science videos to share my research 3D printing human corneas and, next thing I know, my lab is all over the news! It’s unbelievable how the CELLINK Ambassadors Program connected me

CELLINK Ambassador Paul Dinho is bioprinting corneas.

to such a growing community of scientists and bioprinting labs across the world. It really feels great every time I see someone post the next breakthrough in bioprinting so that we can all celebrate together,” revealed to 3DPrint.com Paul Dinh, a student at Florida A&M University and researcher at the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science under Professor Mandip Sachdeva.

Dinh and Sachdeva’s research resulted in the creation of the first US high throughput 3D printing of human cells of the cornea. Because of their involvement with the ambassador program, CELLINK took charge in creating international buzz, landing stories in both industry and top tier globally recognized publications.

Other CELLINK Ambassadors like undergraduate medical student Mohammad Alhazmi from The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland has been using the company’s 3D bioprinter INKREDIBLE + to explore bioprinting in parallel to his interest in cartilage regeneration and orthopedic surgery. Also working with the bioink is fellow ambassador Sara Malferrari, a Ph.D. student in Biomedical Engineering at the University College of London, teaching researchers how to bioprint.

CELLINK Ambassador Sara Malferrari working at the lab with bioinks

Ambassador Angela Panoskaltsis-Mortari, Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Director of the 3D Bioprinting Facility at the University of Minnesota, worked with Century College, also in Minnesota, to launch their new Biofabrication Certificate program. While the University of Kansas Medical Center’s Department of Plastic Surgery ambassadors recently used CELLINK Start bioink to develop a T-block prototype with applications in regenerative medicine. And at North Carolina State University, Associate Professor Rohan Shirwaiker and his fellow researchers have been testing out one of the newest bioinks, the GelXA.

CELLINK Ambassador Rohan Shirwaiker testing out bioink GelXA

“Being an ambassador feels more like being part of a big family: we get to share the great work we do with other people who genuinely care about each others success and providing the support needed, whenever we need it,” explained Mahmoud Amr, biomedical engineer PhD student at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

CELLINK ambassador Mahmoud Amr presenting his work with the BIO X

This is a great opportunity to learn and connect with other researchers, letting everyone in the community know how they are using CELLINK to develop innovations at the lab. One of the benefits for researchers is that it offers them an opportunity to get credit for their hard work, which often remains within the university realm or local news outlets, while through the initiative, the company publishes relevant information in their global network with thousands of followers.

[Images: CELLINK Ambassador Program]

The post Sharing Knowledge With CELLINK’s Ambassador Program appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

Interview with Johnson & Johnson’s Bioprinting Lead Orchid Garcia

Orchid Garcia is a Research Fellow and Lead for 3D Bioprinting and Tissue Regen Technologies at Johnson & Johnson. As Johnson & Johnson’s technical lead for bioprinting she is both responsible for leading the technical aspects of the firm’s entry into bioprinting and educating the firm on the technology. Orchid previously worked scouting and developing new technologies, in Medical Affairs, Clinical Affairs and Regulatory Affairs. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and Cellular Biology from the University of California San Diego; a Master of Science degree in Microbiology from California State University Los Angeles; and a PhD from the University of Southern California. We are used to seeing bioprinting as an emerging technology with huge potential. With huge companies such as J&J getting involved however, we’re seeing the arrival of organizations with the experience and wherewithal to bring bioprinting from the lab into a clinical setting.

There seems to be a little bit of a disconnect between bioprinting reality and the optimism in the media?

I think that healthy optimism encourages discussion about the potential of new technologies such as bioprinting in the future. However, I think the disconnect lies within an understanding of current capabilities and limitations of the technology.  While there is promising news about how bioprinting could be used to create fully functional, transplantable organs, that just isn’t the case at present due to technological limitations and gaps in the regulatory landscape. 

With that being said, there are areas where bioprinted products can potentially bring value to patients in the near term.  For example, bioprinted tissue can be used for in vitro testing for various pharmaceutical and consumer products.  Bioprinting can also be used to create various tissue or anatomical constructs for physician training to allow clinicians to plan or practice complex procedures.  Additionally, bioprinting can be used to create various regenerative scaffolds that can potentially be used to encourage tissue regeneration in patients.

The future holds promise that bioprinting may have the ability to engineer human tissue and organoids—fully functioning 3D printed organ prototypes—for testing or transplant.  For now, however, our efforts are focused on near-term tissue regenerative technologies and bioprinting applications that will ultimately improve treatments or access to treatment for patients.

How did you first get involved in bioprinting?

During my doctoral and postdoctoral training in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, bioprinting was a new and emerging technology that was always out of reach (due to cost and availability).Many of the challenges encountered in traditional tissue engineering approaches can be address via the use of bioprinting. 

When I transitioned to industry, I continued to watch the development of the technology on the sidelines.When J&J announced their commitment to investing in world-class 3D printing capabilities, specifically bioprinting, I couldn’t resist jumping at the opportunity to get involved in the development and acceleration of this technology that has the potential to change the way we treat patients in the field of regenerative medicine.

What about it still excites you?

Bioprinting is exciting because it represents a technology at the nexus of academic, industrial, technological and clinical collaboration.  The advances we’ve seen in this technology have been a testament to the global scientific ecosystem and its ability to drive innovation.  What excites me about my role is that this technology is changing and advancing so quickly, I constantly have the opportunity to learn through our partnerships with both academic and industry collaborators as well as internal J&J collaborators.   

What are the challenges in bioprinting right now?

Because 3D bioprinting is a new and disruptive technology, gaps currently exist in standards, guidance documents, regulatory frameworks and manufacturing frameworks for these products.  Although these gaps represent challenges in terms of launching a product commercially, health agencies worldwide have begun working on frameworks to address these hurdles and have begun partnering with clinicians, industry stakeholders and academics to simultaneously develop these frameworks alongside technological advancements so as not to delay the availability of patient access to bioprinting innovations.

Which technologies are you focusing on (LIFT, Inkjet, SLA?)? 

Everything we do is ultimately guided by patient need. Our team works to determine where patients can be best served through bioprinted technologies in the near and long term.Based on those needs, our team evaluates all technologies and determines which technology to incorporate into our portfolio.

We’re seeing a lot of excitement around hydrogels at the moment? 

Much of the early work done in bioprinting focused on hard tissue constructs, however, with advancements in materials science, hydrogels afford the ability to print and maintain the shape fidelity of softer tissues. I look forward to following the development of hydrogel capabilities, as they will be critical from a regenerative medicine standpoint.

How important is tissue regeneration?

Tissue regeneration is critical if we are looking to repair tissue, rather than simply replace tissue.3D printing in general, and bioprinting specifically, affords us the opportunity to utilize 3D printing technology to create constructs that promote tissue regeneration, through composition, architecture and design.Furthermore, the creation of living tissue, through either 3D printing or regeneration, offers advantages that address limitations of currently available materials like metals and polymers, which can break down over time in the body.

What are some of the technical challenges with tissue regeneration? 

The technical challenge lies in understanding how cells will ultimately react within the human body or to our engineered constructs and ensure that we are enabling regeneration.An understanding of mechanical, biological, physical and chemical principles is critical, and thus, you can see why collaboration is such an important pillar within the field.

What tissues are you the most excited about now? 

I wouldn’t say that I’m excited about a particular tissue per se, but I am excited about the recent advancements in the creation of 3D printed vascular and microvascular networks.The ability to create and potentially implant tissue and/or organs in the future will rely on the ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients to tissue.Some of the new techniques and technologies being created are exciting because they have served as proof-of-principle that the challenge of vascularization can be addressed.

What are some of the opportunities? 

Broadly, bioprinting can be used in a wide range of applications that will enable Johnson & Johnson to evolve the way we create and deliver personalized products and solutions for providers and patients.3D printed biological tissue models have the potential of making medical product and drug development more effective and efficient. Furthermore, an entirely new class of next-generation medical implants customized for the individual patient may exist in the future using bioprinting technologies that enable cellular growth and tissue regeneration. 

How should we explain bioprinting to the general public? 

Bioprinting is rapidly evolving as a promising new option to produce, repair and regenerate human biological tissue.  From a technical perspective, bioprinting utilizes many of the same principles of 3D printing to create 3D constructs of tissue based on digital models.  These constructs can be made from a combination of biomaterials, bioactive molecules and living cells.

The post Interview with Johnson & Johnson’s Bioprinting Lead Orchid Garcia appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

Omid Afarinan is Bioprinting in Iran

When we were assembling our bioprinting world map, we omitted some companies. We are adding to that map and will continue to do so until we have everyone. One of the firms that we did not initially find is Omid Afarinan, also known as 3D Bio. This is an Iranian firm that makes bioprinters and bioinks. We have thus far seen comparatively little 3D printing and bioprinting activity in Iran, so we were more than happy to do an interview with the firm to find out more (as well as apologies for forgetting them in the world map!).

What does your company do?

Our company works on the whole bioprinting chain from tissue design to application stage. The focal point of our efforts in this chain is design, fabrication and development of commercial bioprinters. All research and development attempts are defined based on the targeted tissue or in other words the tissue need and market trend. Based on this fact, the target tissue determines the customization of the bioprinters, the choice of living cells and bioinks creating a multi-disciplinary ecosystem of scientific fields.

Where do you hope to be in five years?

Our mid-term goal in the next five years is turning into a leading company in bioprinting research and development with several specialized laboratories and the sole bioprinting service hub. Achieving the first transplantable living tissue would be the ultimate goal in this period.

Why should someone choose to work with you?

Our team has the capability of creating a wide range of customizations in bioprinter design both on the hardware systems and software. This capability leads to customer-made versions and tissue-specific printers. Our bioprinters are of high quality and competitive to its foreign counterparts from the accuracy and cost point of view. Our exemplary teamwork among various experts and the existence of a multi-profession environment led to current achievements and also resulted in training talented trainees. Our team welcomes specialized groups and eager students especially in the field of molecular and cellular biology to strengthen its abilities.

What are the differences between the Biofab and the Pioneer series?

The main difference between these series is their printing mechanism. The Pioneer bioprinter is extrusion-based using screws while Biofab utilizes pneumatic actuators for printing. This, in turn, makes Biofab more capable especially in the case of accuracy. The Pioneer version possesses the ability of unparalleled control over print heads and can print a variety of hydrogels. Moreover, the Biofab version supports a wide range of biomaterials and viscous cell suspensions for printing.

Both series provided in two versions, with 2 or 4 printing heads.

What kind of bioinks have you developed?

Omid Afarinan, as the first national company in Iran, has gathered experts from different fields of science with the aim of producing novel bioinks. Omid Afarinan bioinks are cost-effective, have high printability, mimic extracellular matrix (ECM) and provide a suitable environment for cell proliferation, growth, and differentiation. Some of the new unique bioinks of the 3D-Bio Team are PCL, PCL/Starch, Alginate and Alginate/Gelatin bioinks. Soft-Ink is the newest bioink of the company; a biodegradable bioink based on pure Alginate and Gelatin which can support growth and proliferation of any cell type of soft tissues. One of the main features of this bioink is high printability and uniformity with the ability to adjust the stiffness of its printed matrix.

In addition to a variety of bioinks from thermoplastic materials to hydrogels, the company also produces custom-made bioinks for specific applications.

What are customers doing with your printers?

The customers mainly use the printer for conducting state-of-the-art researches especially on creating regenerative tissues for transplantation and studying the behavior of living tissues. In particular, our current customers work on hard tissue as bone scaffold especially maxillofacial and soft tissue including cartilage, skin, cornea and heart. The study on drug delivery, cosmetic research and cancer treatment are other aspects of what our customers do with bioprinters.

What short term successes do you see occurring in bioprinting?

Successes in bone and cartilage tissues are promising in recent years. This is due to the fact that such tissues have low cell densities. This is more pronounced in the bone tissue where acellular scaffolds can be used. Skin printing comes next in the list on the soft tissue side, for being a flat and multi-layered tissue. Also, Bioinks are being developed in parallel but at a slower pace. These short-term successes would pave the path for tissues with more complex geometries.

Where is bioprinting challenging?

The challenges exist in both pre- and post-printing stages of bioprinting. At pre-printing stage, the challenge is on the printability of biomaterials and Bioinks. In other words, making the materials printable and the suitability of the printing is of prime importance. Overcoming this challenge leads to printed functional tissues that could mimic real ones. On the post-printing stage, the challenges mainly arise from the complexity in living tissues especially vascularization and post-printing processes such as cell culture and migration that makes the printed tissues ready for their applications. These challenges and issues need close collaborations between different experts to resolve in short and long-term periods.


What advice would you have for a researcher wanting to get into bioprinting?

The first advice is that the researcher should wear iron shoes. In other words, facing many difficulties is unavoidable and gaining achievements may take time. So, patience and being hopeful is the key point. Furthermore, bioprinting requires a multi-disciplinary group including engineers, biologist and doctors and no one can individually succeed in this path. Finally, utilizing a standard and reliable bioprinter could be beneficial and time-saving for any researcher. 

The post Omid Afarinan is Bioprinting in Iran appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

Ricoh cements position in 3D bioprinting market with investment in Elixirgen Scientific

Japanese multinational imaging and electronics company Ricoh has shown its commitment to developing a presence within the biomedical industry in a new agreement combining 3D bioprinting with cell differentiation technology. Acquiring a 34.5% stake in Maryland biotechnology company Elixirgen Scientific, Ricoh has created a strategic business partnership that will also see the launch of a North American […]

A Bioprinting World Map

With 109 established bioprinting companies and many entrepreneurs around the world showing interest in the emerging field, it’s just a matter of time before it becomes one of the most sought after technologies. Mapping the companies that make up this industry is a good starting point to understand the bioprinting ecosystem, determine where most companies have established their headquarters and learn more about potential hubs, like the one in San Francisco. The technology has gained increasing attention due to the ability to control the placement of cells, biomaterials, and molecules for tissue regeneration. Researchers are using bioprinting to create cardiac patches meant to be transplanted directly onto a patient’s heart after a cardiovascular attack, as well as custom printing an implant to precisely fill the space left after removal of diseased bone. Bioprinting has been used to conduct testing for 3D printing of tailored skin grafts for patients with large wound areas, print muscle, and even for microstereolithography 3D printing to repair damaged nerve connections. Bioprinting companies around the world are continuously innovating in regenerative medicine, drug therapies, tissue engineering, stem cell biology and biotechnology; getting a lot of attention from a public eager to envision a future with better patient care, alternatives to organ transplants and customized medical treatments. In an attempt to increase knowledge and research, most bioprinting firms have established partnerships with a number of research organizations, universities, and even government institutions, to jointly create and develop projects that are often published in academic journals. Actually, the literature available on the subject to date is quite vast and growing thanks to the advances in biotechnology, and a great tool for communicating and validating most of this breakthrough knowledge.

The data we collected reveals that the United States is the biggest player, with 39 percent of the companies headquartered in 18 states. And although 28% of the total number of companies in the US are located in California, 33 percent have emerged in East Coast states like Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland. The European continent is home to 35 percent of the companies, followed by Asia with 17 percent, Latin America (5%) and Oceania (3%). Countries like Great Britain, Germany, and France absorb most of the businesses, which represent a 53% stake out of all the European companies. The leader in Asia is China with three big names, although the country is heavily relying on university research to advance the technology and researchers are using their own in-house designed research, which is probably why we are still waiting to see an expansion of companies.  

Researchers, private companies and universities everywhere are very interested in advancing bioprinting technologies. And although there is a long way to determine how these results will perform in a clinical setting, advances show that the potential in therapeutic and regenerative medicine, surgeries, and overall healthcare are huge. Even 4D bioprinting may have the potential for greater strides in medicine and tissue regeneration since it shows more control over pore size, shape, and interconnectivity. The bioprinting business is giving scientists and medical researchers the tools to prototype, model, build and solidify living human tissues. From printing machines to bioinks, even scanners, and software to further enhance their work, this interconnected environment has the potential to transform life as we know it.

Pioneer companies such as Organovo, regenHUCELLINK, and Digilab have been at the forefront of bioprinting for years, creating some of the most innovative machines in the market, which, in the right hands, can make all the difference. Such as the case with Organovo’s bioprinting platform, recently implemented by Leiden University Medical Center scientists to develop stem cell-based bioprinted tissue treatments for kidney disease or Cellink’s Bio X machine which a Florida A&M University professor used to create the first 3D print of human cornea in the United States.

Many of these businesses are focusing on tissue engineering, like Cyfuse Biomedical, Regenovo Biotechnology, Aspect Biosystems or nScrypt. For instance, researchers using Allevi printers have been automating the creation of tumor models, printing vasculature within 3D gels, and achieving physiological markers unseen before in tissues. This requires a ton of knowledge about the microenvironment of the specific tissues and organs through biomimicry, or by the manufacturing of artificial tissues or organs by reproducing cellular and extracellular components natively present. This know-how is essential for in vitro manufacturing of living tissues with the same size and geometry as native organs.

Many commercially available 3D bioprinters are used in several research areas, like bioengineering, disease modeling, or studies of biomaterials. There are different versions, including syringe based extrusion of hydrogels or bioinks, inkjet printing, laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT), (which is a relatively new printing technique that enables transfer from a thin-film donor material onto a chosen receiver placed nearby), and stereolithography (a form of 3D printing technology used for creating models, prototypes, patterns, and production parts in a layer by layer fashion using photopolymerization).

Bioprinting is leading the way into some of the most advanced research ever done in medicine, in a way becoming a beaming source of hope for hundreds of thousands of people who consider the future of healthcare to be focused on patient-specific treatment and an increased life expectancies. Thanks to many of the breakthroughs done at research facilities around the globe and booming interest in the applications of the technology, perhaps in a year, our map will need to be updated and bioprinting companies will have increased significantly. Still, the core of what they are doing has remained the same for the past couple of years, and partnerships continue to emerge among businesses, scientists and researchers, eager to apply their innovative spirit, knowledge of biological sciences, engineering, mathematics and other fields that are contributing to the unstoppable evolution of bioprinting, so that it can eventually transition from the research and development phases to the pre-clinical and trial, getting one step closer to changing people’s lives.

NORTH AMERICA

The US and Canada bioprinting market include the following companies:

  1. 3D BioTherapeutics
  2. 3D Biotek
  3. Advanced BioMatrix
  4. Advanced Solutions Life Sciences
  5. Aether
  6. Allegro 3D
  7. Allevi
  8. BioLife 4D
  9. Biospherix
  10. Brinter
  11. Cell Applications
  12. CELLINK
  13. Celprogen
  14. DigiLab
  15. Embodi3D
  16. Frontier Bio
  17. Hyrel
  18. International Stem Cell
  19. Koligo Therapeutics Inc.
  20. Lung Biotechnology PBC
  21. Nano 3D Biosciences
  22. Nanofiber Solutions
  23. nScrypt
  24. OrganoFab Technologies
  25. Organovo
  26. PreciseBio
  27. Prellis Biologics
  28. Qrons
  29. Rainbow Biosciences
  30. Ronawk
  31. Rooster Bio
  32. Samsara Sciences
  33. SE3D
  34. STEM Reps
  35. SunP Biotech
  36. Superlative Biosciences Corporation
  37. SuperString
  38. TeVido Biodevices
  39. TheWell Bioscience
  40. Tissue Regeneration Systems
  41. United Therapeutics Corporation
  42. Vivax Bio
  43. Volumetric
  44. Aspect Biosystems
  45. Biomomentum

EUROPE

The European bioprinting ecosystem is as follows:

  1. Poietis
  2. regenHu
  3. CTI Biotech
  4. Cellenion
  5. I&L Biosystems SAS
  6. Innov’Gel
  7. Printivo
  8. Cellbricks
  9. GeSim
  10. Black Drop Biodrucker
  11. Medprin Biotech
  12. Greiner Bio-One
  13. Innotere
  14. BiogelX
  15. OxSyBio
  16. ArrayJet
  17. Manchester BIOGEL
  18. 3Dynamics 3D Technologies
  19. Oxford MEStar
  20. ProColl
  21. FabRx
  22. Roslin Cellab (Censo Biotechnologies)
  23. PhosPrint
  24. Ourobotics
  25. Vornia Biomaterials
  26. Prometheus
  27. Twin Helix
  28. Xilloc Medical
  29. Labnatek
  30. 3D Bioprinting Solutions
  31. Regemat 3D (Breca)
  32. Artificial Nature
  33. Ebers
  34. Fluicell AB
  35. Biolamina
  36. CELLnTEC
  37. Morphodyne
  38. Axolotl Biosystems

ASIA

Asia’s new and booming bioprinting market:

  1. FoldInk Bioprinting
  2. Revotek
  3. MedPrin
  4. Regenovo
  5. Pandorum technologies
  6. Next Big Innovation Labs
  7. IndiBio
  8. BioP India
  9. OrgaNow
  10. 3DPL
  11. CollPlant
  12. Accellta
  13. Next 21 K.K.
  14. Cyfuse
  15. KosmodeHealth
  16. Nephtech 3D
  17. Osteopore
  18. Rokit

LATIN AMERICA

Latin America’s incipient bioprinting environment:

  1. Tissue Labs
  2. 3D Biotechnologies Solutions
  3. BioPrint 3D
  4. WeBio
  5. Life SI

Is your company not listed? Email joris (at) 3DPrint.com

European Bioprinting Company regenHU is Paving the Way in Therapeutical Bioprinting

Nestled in the Fribourg countryside, amid medieval towns, deep mountain lakes, and Swiss-alpine traditions, bioprinting company regenHU (which stands for regeneration human) is developing some of the most advanced 3D printers in Europe and creating alliances with research institutions that are quickly making it a leader in this emerging field. Recent advances have given them the tools for fabrication of biomimetic tissue constructs, tissue growth technologies, and drug discovery. Just over a month ago, researchers at Tel Aviv University used regenHU’s 3DDiscovery printer to create cardiac patches and cellularized hearts for patients with heart failure, using patient-specific hydrogel as bioink, so as to avoid rejection. Working in multiple projects alongside their partners, such as the University of Glasgow, in Scotland; the United States National Institutes of Health, and the AO Research Institute in Davos, among others, regenHU is one of the go-to-bioprinting companies of the region. Looking forward to the next ten to twenty years, CEO and founder Marc Thurner is convinced that the future is in regenerative medicine and that their printers could make 3D printed implantable living organs a reality.

A pioneer in the bioprinting realm, regenHU’s story began in 2007 when bioprinting companies were just beginning to fill a much-needed void in the medical and research community. At that time there were three bioprinting companies, including San Diego-based Organovo. regenHU chose to exploit the potential of bioprinting in the therapeutical area and founded a unique corporate structure along with academic partners and affiliate companies which develop innovative transformational products into the medical environment. 

Thurner explained to 3DPrint.com that his “vision was to use additive manufacturing to create a three-dimensional biological environment in which to combine cells, bioactive and extracellular, like biomaterials in order to enable the cell to cell interactions and create physiological pathways that mimic the ones found in natural tissues and organs.”

At the time, as Thurner came around to that concept, the scientific community was still very skeptic about printing cells and proteins. “

“So regenHU had to face the difficult and resource consuming challenge to demonstrate cell printability and post-printing survival,” he said.

There were many other doubts, including whether the cells would be able to survive or even keep their morphologies. This was successfully achieved in 2009 and gave rise to a new industry of tissue printing. Still, the bioprinting industry is far from learning how all the applications of the machines work.

Marc Thurner, CEO & Founder of regenHU 

regenHU has done a lot to level the ground for bioprinting in Europe and overcome skepticism. Partnering with Ursula Graf-Hausner, a biologist and chemist specializing in tissue engineering cell culture technique at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences who was working with primary human cells and creating human tissue, looking to create the Tissue Engineering for Drug Development center at the university.

But dealing with live cells was no easy task, at first 3D printed cells did not survive, and although there were many cell-compatible biomaterials on the market, none of them solidified fast enough after printing. So the duo added biologist Markus Rimann, who had the idea of developing a chemically defined bioink, which made printing the material possible.

Since its start, the company has grown significantly, acting as a capital equipment provider and delivering cutting-edge bioprinting instruments to world-leading scientific and clinical institutions. Some of their clients include L’Oreal, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, among others. regenHU uses cells, proteins and extracellular matrix to make their biogels used in the creation of different tissue types, developing a unique knowledge about what ingredients and conditions are required to drive a specific tissue formation. This knowledge is the result of multiple research endeavors done along with academic and industrial research institutions.

“The evolution of biology is quite a slow process, scientists are still learning and understanding the basics behind the science. So our mission is to support their discovery providing dedicated scientific instruments. We hope that within the next ten years they will find the recipe to biomanufacturing simple tissue and believe that the future of bioprinting is in drug discovery, personalized medicine, precision medicine, and of course, organ transplant,” explained Thurner. 

regenHU bioprinter at work 

With more than 40 well-established bioprinting companies in Europe today, regenHU is still gaining ground. Furthermore, in an attempt to conquer the growing demand for dental 3D printing applications, regenHU together with the dental faculty at the University of Geneva created a spin-off company, Vivos Dental, to develop, manufacture and market oral bone augmentation solutions, like their patented OsteoFlux®, a 3D printed synthetic bone graft for oral bone augmentation and bone regeneration that is still in development. This could be a great option for patients who do not have enough bone volume for a dental implant, so Vivos Dental’s objective is to augment bone volume to offer a good attachment area. It’s an exciting time for dental 3D printing, especially as it is forecast to become an over four billion dollar market for dental prosthetics, orthodontic appliances, and other dental parts.

Bioprinting is no longer an early-stage technology, it has transitioned to the clinical environment, which is why regenHU developed 3DDiscovery Evolution, which is not just a bioprinter, it is a technology platform that can evolve with the researchers’ needs and offer optimal tools that can be integrated into a manufacturing process. RehenHu’s machines are being used to print skin patches for grafting onto burn victims, to develop muscle tissue models by pharmaceutical company Novartis, and even to print cartilage for joint repair.

regenHU software

A couple of years ago, regenHU realized that software technology is also a very important tool to enable bioprinting applications that would allow scientists to exploit their potential, so they invested in software tools, like BioCAD which allows researchers without an engineering background to draw in a layer-by-layer way the tissue they want to create, while BioCAM can import 3D data from medical scanners and modify structures for 3D printing.

As part of their expansion to new markets, clients and researchers, last year regenHU appointed San Diego-based lab automation solutions provider Wako Automation as its official systems integrator for the US.

3DDiscovery Evolution 3D printer

For regenHU, it’s all about contributing to the bioprinting industry by coordinating projects with academia, pharma users, biotech institutes and cosmetic companies that invest in these type of products. It’s part of their 3D discovery evolution and a way to learn how to control cellular biology to eventually develop some of the most sought after advances in regenerative and therapeutic medicine, like advances in biomimetic tissue constructs, to mimic an environment as close as possible to the in vitro situation.

Although having multiple collaborations around the globe and developing an ecosystem of partners and users are making waves within the biofabrication community, some areas, like developing vascularization to help create functional large organs is still challenging, so regenHU, like other bioprinting pioneers and leading companies, is looking for answers. It might take years before a big leap takes researchers to the next level in bioprinting.

[Images: regenHU]

Aspect Biosystems Heads $2.2 Million Project with New Microfluidic 3D Bioprinting Platform

Aspect Biosystems, headquartered in Vancouver, has created a new microfluidic 3D bioprinting platform to further the progress of tissue engineering. In a collaboration with Merck, GSK, and McGill University’s Goodman Cancer Research Centre, they hope to continue 3D printing impacts in the ever-expanding medicine realm through allowing for better accuracy and screening of immuno-therapeutics that target challenging and deadly diseases like breast cancer.

This powerful partnership comprises a project worth $2.2 million, backed also with contributions by CQDM and the Canadian Cancer Society.

“As a founding member of the CQDM, Merck Canada is proud to support this investment in R&D with the objective of potentially improving patient response to some treatments for breast cancer patients,” said Anna Van Acker, president and managing director, Merck Canada Inc. “We believe that collaboration between public sector, academia, patients, NGOs, industry and government will lead to innovations that improve patient outcomes and today’s announcement is yet another example of the modern R&D model we are pursuing in Canada.”

These organizations have committed a substantial amount of funds due to their dedication to research of therapeutic targets and immuno-oncology therapeutics, with Morag Park and her team at Goodman Cancer Research Centre and McGill University Health Centre partnering with Aspect Biosystems. Their focus in bioprinting is to create breast cancer cells and tumors using biological material from patients.

“We are thrilled to partner with global biopharmaceutical leaders, GSK and Merck, as well as world-class groups at McGill and the Canadian Cancer Society that are dedicated to finding cures for cancer,” said Tamer Mohamed, chief executive officer, Aspect Biosystems. “We are deeply committed to forming strategic partnerships to accelerate the impact of our technology on patient outcomes.”

“In addition to our partnerships and programs focused on developing tissue therapeutics for regenerative medicine, our 3D bioprinting platform is also enabling breakthroughs in therapeutic discovery. This public-private partnership is a great example of combining state-of the-art technology and science with world-class expertise and resources to accelerate the discovery and development of new therapies for patients.”

“The 3D printer remakes this tumor microenvironment in the same manner as it exists in the patient,” said Morag Park of the Goodman Cancer Research Centre Director. “It’s this reconstituted tumor that allows us to test new drugs and therapies.”

These advances will allow for further strides in research and evaluation of anti-cancer drugs and how well patients respond to varying treatments.

“We are excited to work with Aspect’s innovative team to combine our bio-bank of patient-matched tumor-associated cells with Aspect’s microfluidic 3D bioprinting technology to create programmable 3D tumor models,” said Dr. Morag Park, director, Goodman Cancer Research Centre at McGill University. “Solid tumor growth is regulated by complex interactions of tumor cells with the tumor microenvironment. This collaboration seeks to create a powerful new platform for studying these critical interactions in a human-relevant environment and, ultimately, accelerate the discovery and development of novel cancer immunotherapies.”

Microfluidics are the common subject of research today as students explore how these systems are commonly used today, as well as being used in combination with miniaturization and innovative new scaffolds for tissue engineering. Find out more about how Aspect Biosystems is furthering the development of oncology therapeutics here.

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

[Source / Images: Aspect Biosystems; CTV News Montreal]

 

 

Spanish Company BRECA Health Care is at the Forefront of Medical Devices & Bioprinting

In 2018 Spain’s health care system ranked third in the world, behind Hong Kong and Singapore, and first in Europe according to a Bloomberg study, so it’s no wonder that research and development of bioprinting technologies are heavily pushing to make the country a haven for its patients. In 2011, industrial engineer José Manuel Baena funded BRECA, a Granada-based healthcare company with its sights set on helping medicine solve some of the most complex pathologies out there. BRECA is a pioneer in Europe, specializing in the design, manufacture and marketing of customized implants. It is also one of the first companies in the world to manufacture a 3D printed implant using a combination of 3D printed made-to-measure synthetic medical devices and bioprinted structures to regenerate a lesion. It’s all about solving the greatest number of pathologies for Baena.

“There are many diseases in the world and most of us are going to be users of these medical solutions some day, so investing time in creating the necessary equipment to help the medical community is essential,” Baena told 3DPrint.com during an interview.

The founder of BRECA Health Care is also founder and CEO of REGEMAT 3D, a startup focusing on regenerative medicine, developing custom hardware and software required and demanded by some of the mayor hospitals and research universities in the region, as well as creating bioinks for bioprinting -from commercial to bioinks developed with university labs made of cellulose, colagen paste and with thermoplastic properties ideal for cellular therapy. They develop their own bioprinting systems, the BIO V1 machines, and customize them for their users’ applications according to the requirements of each investigation. It was back in 2011 when Baena met Juan Antonio Marchal, a professor at the Biomedical Research Centre (CIBM) of the Universidad de Granada, in Spain, working with cells and looking to make scaffolds and 3D matrices, that his interest in regenerative medicine peaked, so he began creating technology and synthetic materials to make cells that would help doctors repair and regenerate injuries.

REGEMAT 3D’s BIO V1 printer

“I see an exciting future ahead, with 3D printing offering many opportunities and applications in regenerative and therapy medicine. The next stage of bioprinting is to combine several tissues and build in vitro organs, but that could take decades. To get to a point where we can create functional complex solid organs, we need more developments, research, more people interested in using this technology, which is a fascinating tool for in-depth knowledge on the future creation of organs. It is also important to understand how bioreactors and decellularization will help us to develop functional tissues and organs. Which is why we have groups of researchers currently working on these applications, both in the short-term and looking way ahead into the future,” suggested Baena, one of the many enthusiasts who are trying to bridge 3D printing technology with medicine.

There are a lot of opportunities right now for companies like BRECA, like the combination of 3D printed custom made synthetic medical devices and bioprinted structures to regenerate an injury. According to Baena, in the past, if you wanted to do a reconstruction using biomaterials that biodegrade, you were restricted by the geometry and performance of sized medical devices. But now with 3D printing they offer customized solutions even using autologous cells of the patient to enhance the regeneration. REGEMAT 3D’s bioprinting platform is ideal for developing this type of customized options and along with BRECA they are very successful in bringing 3D printed implants and prosthesis to the clinical application with optimum results.

BRECA makes custom made plates, ATM implants, and bone reconstructions

BRECA was one of the pioneer companies in bioprinting, introducing the first bioprinter in the country. Today, they are the only Spanish company that designs and manufactures them on site. They also create bioreactors and in 2018 attempted to engineer cartilage tissue, one of the most promising treatments for articular cartilage defects, thanks to a bioreactor designed to implement a non-invasive real-time monitoring of the neo-cartilage tissue formation processes through ultrasonic signal analysis. Polylactic acid (PLA) scaffolds were printed and seeded with human chondrocytes and then, they were cultured in an ultrasound-integrated bioreactor. The team used a bioreactor system to validate ultrasound data against proliferation, gene expression and quantitative biochemistry of in vitro 3D chondrocytes.

With a total of 200 clinical cases all over the world, BRECA is helping doctors transition to a more customized solution that will improve patients’ lives. Through more personalized treatments, reducing complex surgical times and costs, the company is using 3D printing technologies for reconstruction of injuries in cranioplasty, maxillofacial, bone and cartilage, pediatric and thoracic surgery, neurosurgery, as well as other reconstructions with tailor-made surgical guides. Various reconstruction surgeries were performed at the University Hospital of La Paz, one of BRECA’s research partners, and where Ramón Cantero and Baena coordinate the 3D Tissue Engineering and Printing Platform (PITI3D), which provides ingredients and processes to generate functional tissues. 

REGEMAT 3D printer at work

“Last year we started working with PITI 3D, a fantastic 3D printing platform for tissue engineering at one of the most innovative hospitals in Spain. We offer solutions for patients, medical doctors and scientists in regenerative medicine applications. Our current projects include skin regeneration, specifically for a pediatric pathology known as butterfly skin (a genetic mutation that results in skin blistering); Kit Lab on a chip for antitumor treatments, and manufacturing custom-made medical devices for complex surgeries at the University Hospital of La Paz (which we do through BRECA),” suggested Baena, who recently graduated with his PhD in Biomedicine.

REGEMAT 3D printer at University of Iowa lab

Among the top 10 bioprinting companies in the world, BRECA has over 50 active projects in 25 countries, including the University of Sydney, Australia, the University of Iowa, in the U.S., the Paper and Fibre Research Institute of Sweden, Virgen del Rocio Hospital in Seville and Colombia´s National Institute of Rehabilitation. They have participated in many neurosurgery processes by developing the made-to-order medical devices for cranioplasty in patients with injuries or cranial defects, as well as jaw reconstructions and other types of bone prosthesis. The custom contoured grafts are made from materials such as titanium or synthetic bone substitutes.

“Many of the other bioprinting companies are selling mass-produced 3D printers but we chose to offer a one-of-a-kind machine for the researcher who wants to create unique bioprints, and this is working quite well for us, because we don’t just want to have our printers in every bioprinting lab, instead we like to be involved in the research being done, get to know the projects and help in any way we can. The BRECA-REGEMAT model is strongly invetsting on the future of clinical applications of additive manufacturing. There has been a continuous growth in bioprinting advances in the last thre years, but I consider that the next five years will see a strong increase in bioprinting discoveries,” says Baena.

With so many applications for bioprinting in the horizon, Baena believes that once we can engineer any human fully functional tissue, the next frontier will lie in uploading our memories, knowledge and consciousness for storage and to eventually regenerate encephalitic mass. He explains that we have the regeneration part down, but we need technologies and processes that will allow us to copy the existing information in the brain so that we can regenerate it too. “Like a backup of our brain”, he calls it. And although the scientist and engineer know that the idea is far fetched and could take years before it actually happens, he believes that “continuous investigation is the key to making the impossible possible.” After all, regenerating tissues was something that sounded quite futuristic some 50 years ago.

The Spanish company believes in the advantages and potential of technology, as well as in its innumerable applications, but there is still a lot of investigation on the way and decades before some of the more daring ventures, like creating fully functional organs, become realities. According to Baena, Spanish legislation is not an impediment for using the 3D printing machines, but yes when it comes to the clinical phase, so it might be a few years before some of the research gets to patient clinical trials and lawmakers catch up to some of the technological advances tacking place today.

Baena and the REGEMAT team