First commercial 3-D bio-printer makes human tissue and organs
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Invetech, an innovator in new product development and custom
automation for the biomedical, industrial and consumer markets, today
announced that it has delivered the world's first production model 3D
bio-printer to Organovo, developers of the proprietary NovoGen
bioprinting technology. Organovo will supply the units to research
institutions investigating human tissue repair and organ replacement.
Dr. Fred Davis, president of Invetech, which has offices in San
Diego and Melbourne, said, “Building human organs cell-by-cell was
considered science fiction not that long ago. Through this clever
combination of technology and science we have helped Organovo develop
an instrument that will improve people’s lives, making the regenerative
medicine that Organovo provides accessible to people around the world.”
Keith Murphy, CEO of Organovo, based in San Diego, said the units
represent a breakthrough because they provide for the first time a
flexible technology platform for organizations working on many
different types of tissue construction and organ replacement.
”Scientists and engineers can use the 3-D bio printers to enable
placing cells of almost any type into a desired pattern in 3-D,” said
Murphy. “Researchers can place liver cells on a preformed scaffold,
support kidney cells with a co-printed scaffold, or form adjacent
layers of epithelial and stromal soft tissue that grow into a mature
tooth. Ultimately the idea would be for surgeons to have tissue on
demand for various uses, and the best way to do that is get a number of
bio-printers into the hands of researchers and give them the ability to
make three dimensional tissues on demand.”
The 3-D bio-printers include an intuitive software interface that
allows engineers to build a model of the tissue construct before the
printer commences the physical constructions of the organs cell-by-cell
using automated, laser-calibrated print heads.
To help them develop the 3D bio-printers, Organovo selected Invetech
in May 2009 as their technology development partner. “We selected
Invetech because of their capabilities for sophisticated engineering
and automation, cultural fit as a long term partner and their
consideration towards protecting Organovo’s bioprinting IP and
maximizing our commercial return on the program. They have good
processes for product development and project management, and it was
apparent that project execution would be handled very well. Invetech
really offered the best overall package.” said Mr. Murphy.
Invetech was asked to design and develop a highly integrated,
extremely reliable and simple to use 3D bio-printer system which could
then be transferred to manufacture and commercial sale. Because of its
history with precision design, robotics and manufacturing products,
Invetech was able to combine prior art with new ideas to come up with a
development plan that met Organovo’s budget and design goals. The
process advanced smoothly and on schedule with Invetech teams in
Melbourne and its San Diego office, not far from the Organovo office.
The printer, developed by Invetech, fits inside a standard biosafety
cabinet for sterile use. It includes two print heads, one for placing
human cells, and the other for placing a hydrogel, scaffold, or support
matrix. One of the most complex challenges in the development of the
printer was being able to repeatedly position the capillary tip,
attached to the print head, to within microns. This was essential to
ensure that the cells are placed in exactly the right position.
Invetech developed a computer controlled, laser-based calibration
system to achieve the required repeatability.
Invetech plan to ship a number of 3D bio-printers to Organovo during
2010 and 2011 as a part of the instrument development program. Organovo
will be placing the printers globally with researchers in centers of
excellence for medical research
Invetech
Organovo
http://rdmag.com/New-To-Market/2009/12/New-to-Market-First-commercial-3-D-bio-printer-makes-human-tissue-and-organs/
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