The researchers used a combination of inks capable of forming living tissue. Until now it has been difficult for researchers to print thick pieces of tissue in 3D, because the cells on the inside are cut off from the oxygen and nutrients they require. The researchers solved this problem by placing the blood vessels in a mixture of living cells and an extracellular matrix that was able to connect the cells and build tissue.

According to a press release, the producers intend to sell living liver tissue to the pharmaceutical industry this year.

Don Ingber, the founder of the Wyss Institute, is convinced that tissue engineering experts have been waiting for just such a process: “The possibility of forming functional vascular networks in 3D before they are implanted not only allows the production of thicker tissue, but also a surgical connection with the human body.”

For more information:
http://www.pressetext.com/news/20140221003