Pandorum Technologies Private Limited in the third week of December 2015 developed India’s first artificial liver tissue with the help of 3-D printing technology.
The development is a major step forward in the on-demand manufacturing of 3D printed human organs.
The artificial liver tissue performs critical functions of a human liver including, metabolism, secretion of biochemicals such as cholesterol and albumin and detoxification.
Key feature of artificial liver tissue
• It can grow and survive up to eight weeks
• 3D printing mini-livers has the potential to save lives of patients with liver failure
• 3D bio-printed mini-livers that mimic the human liver will serve as test platforms for discovery and development of drugs with better efficacy
• It has less side-effect and can be made at lower costs
• It would significantly reduce animal and human trials and help doctors develop new life-saving medicines and vaccines.
How it was made?
The 5 mm liver tissue was made using 10 million liver cells which were arranged 3D architecture made of glucose, proteins and living cells.
The living cells extracted from a particular type of insect were used as an ink, which was placed in three interchangeable dispensers of the printer’s head controlled by lasers.
Development of artificial liver using 3D technology in World
2013: Pioneering 3D bioprinting company Organovo achieved fully cellular 3D human liver tissue in 2013
2015: Organovo announced the full commercial release of its exVive3D Human Liver Tissue for preclinical drug discovery testing.
In China, scientists at Hangzhou Electronic Science and Technology University used a Regenovo 3D bioprinter to 3D print artificial hepatic lobules – a major step towards producing full 3D printed human livers.
Case for artificial liver tissue in India
In India alone, over 75000 patients are in need of liver transplants, with only 1500 organ donations available.
An additional 200000 patients are in need of kidneys, and 50000 of hearts, though the number of transplants available for these organs are a mere 7000 and 50, respectively.
3D bioprinting or artificial liver tissue has the power to significantly reverse these numbers and save hundreds of thousands of lives.
About Pandorum Technologies
The biotechnology start-up firm focused on tissue engineering was founded in 2011 by Arun Chandru along with Tuhin Bhowmick, researchers from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.
It was founded to make artificial human organs on demand.
Pandorum is supported by grants from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council and is incubated at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CMAP), Bangalore Bio-Cluster.
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