cover of episode Best of: The future of bioprinting

Best of: The future of bioprinting

2025/2/21
logo of podcast The Future of Everything

The Future of Everything
AI Deep Dive AI Chapters Transcript
People
M
Mark Skylar-Scott
R
Russ Altman
Topics
Russ Altman: 我主持了本期节目，并采访了斯坦福大学生物工程学教授Mark Skylar-Scott，他正在研究利用3D打印技术制造人体组织和器官，特别是心脏组织。这项研究的动机部分源于对心脏移植的迫切需求。 Mark Skylar-Scott: 生物打印是用细胞而不是塑料进行3D打印，打印生物材料。我们使用嵌入式3D生物打印技术，在支持材料中打印细胞，以保持其形状并挤出不同细胞类型的三维结构。我们正在努力创造人体心脏所需的11种不同类型的细胞，并将它们放置在正确的位置，并确保它们获得所需的血液、氧气和营养物质，以及如何使心脏能够跳动并连接到身体的其他部位。为了生物打印，我们可以利用患者自身的干细胞，通过对其进行重新编程，获得无限量的患者特异性细胞。我们可以将患者自身的皮肤细胞或血细胞重新编程为干细胞，然后诱导其分化成特定类型的细胞，例如心脏细胞。我们使用11个不同的喷嘴来挤出不同的材料，以创建所需的心脏细胞模式。我们使用的支架材料是暂时的，可以在后期移除，例如头发凝胶或明胶微粒。细胞在一定程度上会自行组织，但我们也需要仔细协调它们的行为。我们使用微组织来打印心脏组织，并促进心肌细胞的迁移，使它们连接在一起，形成坚韧的组织。我们既在研究打印成人大小的心脏，也在研究打印更小的器官，例如用于儿童的生物泵。我们需要控制生物打印器官的生长，以避免过度生长。我们计划在生物反应器中培养生物打印器官，以控制其环境并调节细胞迁移。我们正在努力同时创造11种不同类型的细胞，以进行大规模实验。我们正在努力扩大细胞生产规模，以便进行更多实验，以控制细胞行为的许多变量，例如细胞培养基、机械训练和电训练。生物打印器官面临的一个巨大挑战是如何在整个器官中形成血管网络，为细胞提供氧气和营养物质。如果我们不为生物打印的组织建立血管网络，细胞就会在几小时内死亡。3D生物打印技术可以帮助我们创建复杂的形状，并为组织创建营养通道，以连接到泵并保持细胞存活。我们无法打印每个毛细血管网络，我们将依靠细胞的自我组装来形成毛细血管。生物打印器官的伦理问题包括细胞来源、知情同意和公平获取。生物打印器官的成本很高，这可能会限制其广泛使用。生物打印器官的临床应用还需要几十年时间。生物制造领域是一个合作竞争的领域，研究人员之间既有竞争也有合作。 supporting_evidences Mark Skylar-Scott: 'Mark, what is bioprinting? Well, you may have heard of traditional 3D printing...' Mark Skylar-Scott: 'Yeah, so we're really excited about the potential of using bioprinting...' Mark Skylar-Scott: 'So the support bath we're printing in will not remain part of the tissue...'

Deep Dive

Chapters
Bioprinting is a revolutionary technology that uses cells and biopolymers to create functional biological structures. This technology offers the potential to produce human tissues and organs on demand, overcoming the limitations of organ donation and reducing the risk of rejection.
  • Bioprinting uses cells and biopolymers to create 3D biological shapes.
  • It offers the possibility of creating tissues and organs on demand.
  • A major advantage is the potential to eliminate organ rejection in transplants.

Shownotes Transcript

February is American Heart Month, and in light of that, we’re bringing back an episode about a group here at Stanford Engineering that’s developing 3D printing methods for human tissues and organs, a process known as bioprinting. Motivated in part by the critical need for heart transplants, Mark Skylar-Scott) and his team are specifically working to bioprint tissues of the human heart. It may sound like science fiction, but it’s actually just another example of the groundbreaking research we do here. We hope you’ll take another listen and be inspired by the possibilities.

Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your quest. You can send questions to [email protected]).

Episode Reference Links:

Connect With Us:

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Russ Altman introduces guest, Mark Skylar-Scott, a professor of bioengineering at Stanford University.

(00:02:06) What is Bioprinting?

The role of cells and biopolymers in printing functional biological structures.

(00:03:31)** Bioprinting a Heart**

The potential of printing organs on demand, especially heart tissue.

(00:04:38) Obtaining Cells for Bioprinting

Using stem cells derived from the patient's own cells to create heart tissue.

(00:06:29) Creating Multiple Cell Types for the Heart

The challenge of printing eleven different heart cell types with precision.

(00:08:50) The Scaffold for 3D Printing

The support material used in 3D printing and how it’s later removed.

(00:10:10) Cell Migration and Organ Formation

How cells organize themselves to form functional heart tissue.

(00:12:08) Growing a Full-Sized Heart

Whether they’re printing full-sized hearts or starting with smaller organs.

(00:13:34) Avoiding Overgrowth Risks

The role of bioreactors in shaping the early stages of the organ.

(00:14:57) Scaling Up Cell Production

The need to generate massive numbers of cells for experimentation.

(00:18:32) The Challenge of Vascularization

Creating a blood vessel network to supply oxygen and nutrients.

(00:22:35) Ethical Considerations in Bioprinting

Consent, stem cell sourcing, and the broader ethical landscape.

(00:26:04) The Timeline for Bioprinted Organs

The long timeline for bioprinted organs to reach clinical use.

(00:27:24) The State of the Field & Collaboration

The collaborative, competitive biofabrication field and its rapid progress.

(00:28:20) Conclusion

Connect With Us:

Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website)

Connect with Russ >>> Threads) / Bluesky) / Mastodon)

Connect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X) / Instagram) / LinkedIn) / Facebook)