Is the First Bioprinted Heart Just Around the Corner?

A Chicago bioprinting startup that seeks to 3-D print human hearts for transplantation has added to its scientific advisory board of heavy hitters. But its CEO won’t say how close the company is to producing its first viable heart. Biolife4D just announced it has added regenerative biomaterials expert Adam  Feinberg, PhD to lead its scientific advisory team. Feinberg is associate professor of materials science & engineering and biomedical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and principal investigator of the regenerative biomaterials and therapeutics group. Feinberg uses materials-based engineering strategies to control the self-organization and assembly of various cell types into tissues. That’s a foundational requirement to successfully bioprint human organs, according to a company statement. Biolife4D, which will rely on crowdfunding, would develop a replacement heart for a patient by converting the patient’s blood cells to specialized heart cells that will be used to make bio-ink. After it is printed, the heart would go into a bioreactor to mature and grow stronger for patient transplant. The company’s strategy is to assemble the leading researchers in bioprinting into a team to expedite the process, according to founder and CEO Steven Morris. In addition to Feinberg, Biolife4D’s scientific advisors include researchers from Baylor College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Virginia, Northwestern...
Source: MDDI - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Cardiovascular Implants Source Type: news