A team of bioengineers and biomedical scientists from the University of Sydney and the Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI) at Westmead have used 3D photolithographic printing to create a complex environment for assembling tissue that mimics the architecture of an organ. The teams were led by Professor Hala Zreiqat and Dr Peter Newman at the University of Sydney’s School of Biomedical Engineering and developmental biologist Professor Patrick Tam who leads the CMRI’s Embryology Research Unit. Professor Hala Zreiqat is the TAKREEM Foundation 2022 Laureate of the scientific and technological achievement category. Using bioengineering and cell culture methods, the technique was used to instruct stem cells derived from blood cells or skin cells to become specialized cells that can assemble into an organ-like structure. Similar to how the needle of a record player navigates the vinyl grooves to create music, cells use strategically positioned proteins and mechanical triggers to navigate through their intricate environment, replicating developmental processes. The team's latest research employed microscopic mechanical and chemical signals to recreate the cellular activities during development. Professor Hala Zreiqat said: “Our new method serves as an instruction manual for cells, allowing them to create tissues that are better organized and more closely resemble their natural counterparts. This is an important step towards being able to 3-D print working tissue and organs.” Research into complex tissue and organ-like structures, known as organoids, helps researchers understand how organs develop and function and how diseases affecting the organ may be caused by genetic mutations and developmental errors. The knowledge gleaned from the study also enables the development of cell and gene therapy for diseases. The ability to generate the desired cell types further provides the capacity to produce clinically relevant stem cells for therapeutic purposes. 

For the full article: https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2023/08/07/new-method-an-important-step-toward-future-3d-printing-of-human-.html