Advances in elastic hydrogels for printing living tissue

Researchers at Northeastern University and the University of Texas Arlington have developed a new elastic hydrogel that could enable the 3D printing of living tissue. The material is said to be particularly suitable for the production of blood vessels and organ structures and could have a decisive impact on regenerative medicine in the long term. Current 3D printing processes reach their limits when it comes to soft and elastic materials that behave like natural tissue.

Bioengineer Guohao Dai from Northeastern University is working on 3D bioprinting, stem cells and vascular bioengineering technology. Together with Yi Hong from the University of Texas Arlington, he developed a hydrogel that not only contains water but is also elastic. Hydrogels are already used in various medical applications, for example in wound dressings or contact lenses. However, the previous variants are often too brittle to withstand the mechanical stresses of the 3D printing process.

The new material dissolves in a liquid and can store a large amount of water, creating an environment that mimics the human body. Cells are introduced into the solution before printing. After the printing process, exposure to blue light causes a chemical reaction that makes the material elastic without damaging the embedded cells. This creates stable structures in which cells can multiply.

Another important feature of the hydrogel is its biodegradability. As the tissue build-up progresses, the material is gradually replaced by the body’s own collagen and elastin fibers. However, initial tests show that the stability of the printed blood vessels is not yet sufficient to withstand realistic stresses. A longer cultivation time could solve this problem and further develop the material for medical use. In the long term, this technology could be used to produce patient-specific blood vessels and possibly even entire organs.