Bangalore-based startup Pandorum Technologies has developed the first 3D printed artificial human liver tissue in India. These 3D bio-printed living tissues could enable more affordable medical research with reduced animal and human trials.
“This is a significant milestone. Being able to engineer complex tissues such as the human liver is no easy task,” explained Dr. Tuhin Bhowmick, co-founder, Pandorum Technologies. He adds: “Development of artificial organs has numerous clinical uses. Cell based organoids can be used to develop bio-artificial liver support systems for preserving life in patients who have developed liver failure. In the near future, such bio-printed organs will address the acute shortage of human organs available for surgical transplantation.”
In order to create the mini-livers, that are viable and stable for up to four weeks outside the human body, the researchers used a 3D bioprinter depositing a hydrogel containing human liver cells.
Pandorum was founded by a group of students at the Indian Institute of Science in 2011 and is supported by grants from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) of the Indian government.
The 3D bioprinted exVive3D liver tissue by the US company Organovo has been commercially available for over a year now. The company’s contract research services model is intended to provide human-specific data to aid in the prediction of liver tissue toxicity or ADME outcomes in later stage preclinical drug discovery programs.
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