Researchers 3D print a heart for first time everApril 16, 2019 - 14:19 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - There's been a potential breakthrough in making organs in the lab. Israeli researchers have 3D printed a heart, complete with muscle and blood vessels. But how long before it is ready for actual use? Not for a while, according to Dr. Max Gomez of CBS New York, CBS News reports. Printing an organ is much more complicated than squirting a bunch of cells into the shape of a heart or kidney. That said, researchers at Tel Aviv University have taken a big step toward off-the-shelf organs. Video shows a living heart being printed out. The 3D printing includes not just heart cells, but blood vessels and other supporting structures. It's a small heart, about the size of a rabbit's. Not only are the cells alive, but all of the different cell types in the heart came from a single human donor. "That's important because it prevents the possibility of rejection," said Dr. Anthony Atala of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Atala is a pioneer in 3D printing of organs and tissues. He explained that the cells that made the heart came from a donor's fat tissue, which were then transformed into stem cells, and then differentiated into the various cell types in the heart. Those cells are then printed into a biodegradable scaffold, or skeleton, that gives it its shape. While it looks like a heart, structurally, it's not yet functional and doesn't pump. "A functioning heart has to contract and be connected to vessels to be functioning," Dr. Atala said. The first printed organs and tissues for actual human use will be simpler: Bladders, ears, blood vessels and windpipes, some of which have already been in implanted in patients, said Dr. Atala. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Ucom Celebrates Telecommunication Day May 17 commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on May 17, 1865. Armenian, Azerbaijani heads of parliament meet in Switzerland President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Border residents overnight on highway to protest Armenia’s Residents of Kirants continue to express outrage over the government’s decision to cede land to Azerbaijan. Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. |