Chicago-Based Company Claims To Successfully Create A Human Heart By Bioprinting

BIOLIFE4D, a biotech startup based out of Chicago, announced on Sept. 9 that they had successfully 3D-printed the first mini human heart. The artificial organ was constructed with the patient’s own cells and had a similar structure as a full-sized one. This achievement is considered a major milestone in the progress of printing out human hearts for transplant.

A press release by BIOLIFE4D stated the breakthrough was attained at the company’s research facility placed in Houston and led by Chief Science Officer Ravi Birla. As for that, BIOLIFE4D has stepped much closer than any previous team of scientists to 3D bio-print a fully functional heart. The company claimed that their mini organ could imitate part of functions a full-size one has. 

BIOLIFE4D started constructing human cardiac tissue last summer, and they have reached bioprinting separate heart components earlier this year, then creating a fully shaped organ. For the latest milestone, scientists made use of patients’ cardiac muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) and bioink deriving from extracellular matrix compounds that have similar properties as the real hearts of mammals. The team carried out a reprogramming process which transformed white blood cells into iPS cells (also called induced pluripotent stem cells) to single out different types of cells. 

Besides the proprietary bioprinting technology, BIOLIFE4D also possesses a unique algorithm, including parameters optimized for the construction of human organs. Based on that, the company has proved to be well-positioned to the development of a fully-functioning heart. 

Notably, BIOLIFE4D isn’t the only team having the ambition of bioprinting 3D organs. Researchers at Tel Aviv has managed to construct an entire heart using cells and biological materials from human. And scientists from MIT can create complex vascular networks by 3D printing.