Researchers at Hong Kong University (HKU) are developing a pioneer technique that combines 3D printed respiratory tissue with “mini -rran” cultivated in the laboratory, in order to create custom airways for patients with serious injuries who need transplants.
Professor Michael Chan, from HKU’s immunology and infection center, explained that the project focuses on producing custom respiratory ducts using cells obtained through an oral swab, said South China Morning Post (SCMP).
These organoids are transformed into biological models that replicate the functions and characteristics of real organs. “Although respiratory pathways can be printed today with biomaterials, without functional cells they do not fulfill their purpose,” said Chan.
According to the US National Medicine Library, between 10 and 20% of burning patients suffer inhalation injuries, which usually require complex surgeries to restore respiratory tract. Incorporating these cellular models in 3D printed fabrics could transform these procedures.
Chan said that, although some technologies already integrate basal cells into printed tissues, they do not perform key functions, such as producing mucus or facilitating the movement of cilia to displace mucus. “Our models fulfill those functions, and we seek to integrate them into the printed airways,” he said.
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Machine facilitates biological crops for transplants
Hku’s team perfected a method to collect cells with an oral swab and cultivate these biological models. Currently, they investigate how to set them to the printed fabric, comparing the process with the use of construction reinforcements, ensuring them as if they were skewered “pieces in a skewer.”
In collaboration with the Japanese multinational Hitachi, HKU and the C2itech company created an innovative machine that automates the production of these respiratory crops, processing up to 128 samples simultaneously.
“Before, changing the culture medium every two days was a very laborious task,” said Chan. With a team of twenty people, they could only manage the samples of one patient at the same time. This machine reduces errors and increases efficiency, with potential for commercialization.
The researchers stressed that these crops are also used in personalized medicine to predict responses to treatments or pathologies, and in the pharmaceutical industry to test drugs. “In the future, they will be essential, and machines such as this will replace manual work with greater precision,” they said.
This advance positions HKU as a reference in this field, opening new perspectives in regenerative medicine and transplants.
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