Carnegie Mellon University’s Feinberg Lab’s FRESH bioprinting technique brings vascularized tissue one step closer

Collagen is well-known as an important component of skin, but its impact is much greater, as it is the most abundant protein in the body, providing structure and support to nearly all tissues and organs. Using their novel Freeform Reversible Embedding of Suspended Hydrogels (FRESH) 3D bioprinting technique, which allows for the printing of soft living cells and tissues, Carnegie Mellon’s Feinberg lab has built a first-of-its-kind microphysiologic system, or tissue model, entirely out of collagen. This advancement expands the capabilities of how researchers can study disease and build tissues for therapy, such as Type 1 diabetes.

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Traditionally, tiny models of human tissue that mimic human physiology, known as microfluidics, organ-on-chip, or microphysiologic systems, have been made using synthetic materials such as silicone rubber or plastics, because that was the only way researchers could build these devices. Because these materials aren’t native to the body, they cannot fully recreate the normal biology, limiting their use and application.

“Now, we can build microfluidic systems in the Petri dish entirely out of collagen, cells, and other proteins, with unprecedented structural resolution and fidelity,” explained Adam Feinberg, a professor of biomedical engineering and materials science & engineering at Carnegie Mellon. “Most importantly, these models are fully biologic, which means cells function better.”

In new research published in Science Advances, the group demonstrates use of this FRESH bioprinting advancement, building more complex vascularized tissues out of fully biologic materials, to create a pancreatic-like tissue that could potentially be used in the future to treat Type 1 diabetes. This advancement builds on the team's earlier work published in Science, by improving the resolution and quality to create fluidic channels that are like blood vessels down to about 100-micron diameter.

“It is paramount for everyone to understand the importance of team-based science in developing these technologies and the value varied expertise brings both to the project, and our impact on society,” elaborated Feinberg.

This technology is currently being commercialized by FluidForm Bio, a Carnegie Mellon spinout company.

Feinberg and his collaborators are committed to releasing open-source designs and other technologies that allow for broad adoption within the research community. “We’re hoping that very quickly, other labs in the world will adopt and expand this capability to other disease and tissue areas,” Feinberg added. “We see this as a base platform for building more complex and vascularized tissue systems.”

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Using their novel (FRESH 3D bioprinting technique, which allows for the printing of soft living cells and tissues, Carnegie Mellon's Feinberg lab has built a first-of-its-kind microphysiologic system, or tissue model, entirely out of collagen.