INDIA- The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has partnered with CELLINK, a 3D bioprinting company in order to build a Centre of Excellence (CoE) that will focus on increasing research on the heart, bone, cartilage, and cancer using 3D bioprinting.
The Centre of Excellence (CoE), will be housed in the Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering (BSSE) at Bengaluru-based IISc, an official statement said.
The brand-new facility will contain a number of cutting-edge 3D bioprinters from CELLINK.
The statement adds that by giving researchers exposure to 3D bioprinting technology, they will be able to move more quickly on important applications with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes.
IISc and CELLINK will collaborate to deliver workshops in order to give researchers at the institute and abroad the skills they need to use 3D bioprinting in their work and benefit from 3D cell culture.
They will also work on research projects with several applications in the areas of tissue engineering, drug discovery, material science, and regenerative /personalized medicine, and they will offer advice on these projects.
“This would also align very well with the new initiative that we have launched to establish a post graduate medical school at IISc. The interdisciplinary collaboration through the CoE will create new medical technologies for affordable healthcare,” Govindan Rangarajan, director, IISC, said.
In 3D bioprinting, living cells are combined with bioinks to create three-dimensional structures that resemble natural tissue.
In 3D bioprinting, living cells are combined with bioinks to create three-dimensional structures that resemble natural tissue.
This technology is currently applicable to a number of scientific fields, including tissue engineering and the creation of novel drugs.
Researchers are now able to explore the activities of the human body in vitro thanks to technology and bioprinted components.
Comparatively speaking, 2D in vitro research are less biologically relevant than 3D bioprinted structures.
The present focus of bioprinting research is on clinical applications including 3D printed skin and bone grafts, implants, and even complete organs.
In the future, tailored human organs could be printed using the patients’ own cells or stem cells as a base, potentially eliminating the need for organ donors.
This technology may completely change how diseases are treated and prevented in the future. It is envisaged that bioprinting technology could eventually improve and streamline medical treatment.
Cecilia Edebo, the CEO of CELLINK, said it was an honour to collaborate with IISc and is confident that this centre of excellence will make a lasting impact on the progress within research in the fields of heart, bone, cartilage and cancer.
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