[Animals]They develop a technology that creates human tissues to reduce experimentation on animals

[Mr.Shelby]

https://www.elperiodicodearagon.com/sociedad/2022/02/03/desarrollan-tecnologia-crea-tejidos-humanos-62259505.html

The objective of the 3D bioprinting technique is to generate in vitro models that are sufficiently complex and suitable for use in the pharmaceutical industry and in basic research.

This technology could make it possible to reduce animal experimentation in laboratories. EFE
The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) coordinates a European project to reduce animal experimentation with the development of a light-based 3D bioprinting technology that manufactures human tissues from cell cultures.

According to the researchers, this technology could make it possible to reduce animal experimentation in laboratories , something that is still essential for scientists, and could even be used to produce organs in the laboratory.
Although the European Union , through the European Association for Animal Research, regulates animal research following the 3R principle: Replace animals with other methods; Reduce the number of animals used and refine the methodology to minimize animal suffering , it is still essential to use animals for experimentation, something highly criticized by animal associations and much of society.
Faced with this situation, the project coordinated by IBEC intends to use 3D printing for biomedical purposes, known as tissue engineering or regenerative medicine and increasingly common in the field of bone and dental prostheses or to produce cartilage.

The researchers of this project are already manufacturing human skin , a highly complex tissue, in a project funded by the European Union and coordinated by researchers from the IBEC Biomimetic Systems laboratory for cell engineering, led by Elena Martínez.
Testing of drugs and cosmetics
Its objective is to create in vitro models that are sufficiently complex and suitable for use in the pharmaceutical industry (testing of cosmetics and drugs) and in basic research, reducing animal experimentation.
To do this, researchers are developing a new 3D bioprinting technology based on high-quality laser light with which they intend to overcome some technical obstacles that currently limit the manufacture of complex human tissues

"Our innovative 3D bioprinting system not only achieves tissues that are closer to the real ones, but it is also much faster than current systems", explained Elena Martínez, coordinator of the European project.
A key aspect in this technology is the hydrogels , materials that form the base where the cells that will form the new tissue will grow.
Another relevant factor is that the entire process can be done in a personalized way, since patient cells can be used to manufacture the new tissue.
To perfect the new technology, the BRIGHTER researchers are already printing human skin, a tissue with a complex three-dimensional structure made up of multiple cell types and structures such as sweat glands and villi.
According to Martínez, the skin made with this new technology can be used as a substitute for animals in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry and in basic research laboratories, and can also help meet the demand for skin in medical interventions, for example, in burns or people suffering from different dermatological diseases.
mold in detail
"The advantage of this new technology is that it allows the fabric being printed to be molded in detail, which in the case of leather is crucial, since it is a dynamic fabric made up of several layers with different cell types and matrix composition. extracellular," according to Martínez.
To 'print' the skin, and so that it adopts its structure, shape and consistency, the researchers use advanced imaging techniques , which combine illumination with sheets of light and high-resolution digital photomasks, and thus be able to fix the cells in the hydrogels.
They do this by applying laser light directly onto a mixture of materials (hydrogels and cells), which also contains molecules that react to light.
In this way, it is possible to mold the new fabric and manufacture its 3D structure 'à la carte', controlling the stiffness, shape and dimensions, thus creating three-dimensional fabrics with complex geometry.
"We hope to be able to print a skin sample with an area of 1 square centimeter and a thickness of 1 millimeter in approximately 10 minutes and with a cell viability of more than 95%, greatly improving current bioprinting conditions", IBEC researcher Núria advanced. towers.