At the Australian National University (ANU), researchers are leveraging recent advances in bioprinting technology to create cell-based disease models in the lab. Central to this work are so-called bioinks—viscous printing materials containing living cells, which can be processed using modified 3D printers in a manner similar to traditional polymers. These bioinks were developed under the leadership of chemist Professor Adam Perriman, who began adapting conventional plastic 3D printers for biological applications as early as 2015.
“Bioprinting is becoming an exciting technique to address really complex problems,” says Professor Adam Perriman. “We’re harnessing the power of robotics and automation to answer questions that you couldn’t answer any other way.”
“If we want to make real progress in reducing cancer deaths, we need to build more holistic representations of cancer in the lab – and we need to do it at scale,” says Dr Peter Johnson, a postdoctoral fellow working with Professor Perriman.
The technique enables the production of three-dimensional tissue structures that continue to develop and behave actively after printing. Current research focuses on replicating tumor tissue, with the goal of creating realistic cancer models that allow for more nuanced analysis of immunotherapies and drug candidates.
“Fundamentally, when we grow cells in the lab, they are a simplistic model of what’s happening in a human body,” Dr Johnson explains.
Bioprinting offers a scalable alternative that not only delivers more accurate results but also has the potential to significantly reduce the use of animal models.
“There are approximately 200 million animals sacrificed a year for research, and if we can avoid doing that, then we should,” Dr Johnson says.
“I think the whole-organ printing is really exciting, and it’s something that’s almost certainly going to happen in the future,” explains Professor Perriman. “But it’s still a major challenge to get to that point.”
Beyond oncology applications, the team is also working on techniques for accelerated wound healing by precisely printing functional tissue layers. In the long term, this technology could lay the foundation for printing entire organs.
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