The possibilities presented by stem cells within the medical industry is ground-breaking, however they aren’t the easiest cells to come by. However with the advancement of 3D printing, Nano Dimension has recently announced that they have successfully lab-tested a proof of concept Bioprinter to produce stem cells for use in the medical world.
The trail has been conducted in partnership with Accellta; a company that has developed exclusive technologies for a unique production of progenitors and differentiated cells for medicine discovery, high quality media, stem cells and regenerative medicine and research.
Conducted earlier this year, the expediency study confirmed that the combination of technologies and expertise of the companies have enabled the printing of sustainable stem cells using a specially adapted 3D printer.
Amit Dror, CEO of Nano Dimension commented: "3D printing of living cells is a technology that is already playing a significant role in medical research, but in order to reach its full potential, for the field to evolve further, there is a need to improve printing speeds, print resolution, cell control and viability as well as cell availability and bio-ink technologies,"
"By combining our high speed, high precision inkjet capabilities with Accellta's stem cell suspension technologies and induced differentiation capabilities led by a world-renown group of experienced engineers and scientists, we can enable 3D printing at high resolution and high volumes."
The formation of a new unit for these future solutions will be considered by the companies yet they do not intend to invest substantial money directly to expand the movement. These funds would be raised by, and utilised by the shared unit.
The combination of Nano Dimension’s and Accellta’s technologies, through 3D bioprinting, has allowed them the potential to accelerate high viability and high fidelity manufacturing of products with living cells. With Accellta’s exclusive, reproducible and robust suspension-based cell culturing systems, the company can produce billions of high quality stem cells per batch, making this a revolutionary step in the production of stem cells. The technology used by Accellta can supply mass quantities of high-quality cells that have potential to be a facilitator for the printing of larger, more complex tissues and even organs.
Dr. Itzchak Angel, Chairman and CEO of Accellta commented: "Accellta and Nano Dimension have joined forces in this initial trial to evaluate and adapt the joint potential of our technologies. We hope and believe that this will bring the mutual capabilities and know-how of both companies to create 3D bioprinting solutions that combine a high precision, high-throughput printer with dedicated bio-ink technologies, derived from stem cells.
"By enabling high precision 3D bioprinting and differentiation of stem cells into required tissues, our combined technologies have the potential to enable vast areas of development. We are very excited about these initial results and what the future holds."
With the 3D bioprinting market expected to grow rapidly over the following decade, advances in these processes are developing quickly. As the technology has incredible worth for fields such as pre-clinical drug discovery and testing, toxicology assays, cosmetics safety testing and tissue printing, the healthcare industry is eager to participate in its advancement.
Nano Dimension’s core 3D inkjet technology, enables the rapid printing of complex multi-material objects that are needed for progeny bioprinting. The company’s innovative abilities, specifically developed for its state-of-the-art 3D printed electronics technology, may start the ball rolling for other advanced multi-material printing fields surrounding 3D bioprinting.
