https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Bioprinting is currently used to generate model tissues for research and has potential applications in regenerative medicine. Existing bioprinting techniques rely on printing cells embedded in hydrogels, which results in low-cell-density constructs that are well below what is required to grow functional tissues. Maneuvering different kinds of cells into position to replicate the complex makeup of an organ, particularly at organlike cell densities, is still beyond their capabilities. https://phys.org/news/2021-02-bioprinting-technique-complex-microtissues.html Biotechnology Wed, 17 Feb 2021 08:20:59 EST news532772456 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have developed a new method for 3-D printing living microbes in controlled patterns, expanding the potential for using engineered bacteria to recover rare-earth metals, clean wastewater, detect uranium and more. https://phys.org/news/2021-02-lab-d-microbes-biomaterials.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 04 Feb 2021 08:58:48 EST news531651524 Fiber-shaped supercapacitors are a desirable high-performance energy storage technology for wearable electronics. The traditional method for device fabrication is based on a multistep approach to construct energy devices, which can present challenges during fabrication, scalability and durability. To overcome these restrictions, Jingxin Zhao and a team of scientists in physics, electrochemical energy, nanoscience, materials, and chemical engineering in China, the U.S., and Singapore, developed an all-in-one coaxial fiber-shaped asymmetric supercapacitor (FASC) device. The team used direct coherent multi-ink writing, three-dimensional (3-D) printing technology by designing the internal structure of the coaxial needles and regulating the rheological property and feed rates of the multi-ink. The device delivered a superior areal energy and power density with outstanding mechanical stability. The team integrated the fiber-shaped asymmetric supercapacitor (FASC) with mechanical units and pressure sensors to realize high performance and self-powered mechanical devices to monitor systems. The work is now published on Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2021-01-coherent-multi-ink-fabric-supercapacitors.html Nanophysics Fri, 29 Jan 2021 09:30:02 EST news531129094 Hernias are one of the most common soft tissue injuries. Hernias form when intra-abdominal content, such as a loop of the intestine, squeezes through weak, defective or injured areas of the abdominal wall. https://phys.org/news/2021-01-d-biomesh-minimizes-hernia-complications.html Materials Science Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:19:30 EST news530813965 3-D bioprinted algae can be harnessed as a sustainable source of oxygen for human cells in engineered vascularized tissues, researchers report November 18 in the journal Matter. They embedded the bioprinted photosynthetic algae, along with human liver-derived cells, in a 3-D hydrogel matrix to create honeycomb-shaped tissues with lobules, similar to the human liver. In the future, the researchers say, the eco-friendly, cost-effective 3-D bioprinting approach may hold potential for applications such as disease modeling, drug development, regenerative and personalized medicine, and even food engineering. https://phys.org/news/2020-11-algae-life-d-tissues.html Materials Science Wed, 18 Nov 2020 11:00:06 EST news524905229 Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine scientists (WFIRM) have developed a method to bioprint a type of cartilage that could someday help restore knee function damaged by arthritis or injury. https://phys.org/news/2020-11-scientists-hybrid-tissue-cartilage-regeneration.html Materials Science Mon, 09 Nov 2020 03:09:02 EST news524113724 The eventual creation of replacement biological parts requires fully three-dimensional capabilities that two-dimensional and three-dimensional thin-film bioprinting cannot supply. Now, using a yield stress gel, Penn State engineers can place tiny aggregates of cells exactly where they want to build the complex shapes that will be necessary to replace bone, cartilage and other tissues. https://phys.org/news/2020-10-gel-instrumental-d-bioprinting-biological.html Condensed Matter Fri, 16 Oct 2020 12:45:35 EDT news522071129 A team of researchers with members from several institutions in China, one in the U.S. and one in Belgium, has developed a method for 3-D printing an ear inside of the body. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes their method and how well it worked on test mice. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-near-infrared-d-ear-body.html Polymers Mon, 08 Jun 2020 08:46:19 EDT news510824766 Microscopically small cages have been produced at TU Wien (Vienna) with grid openings only a few micrometers in size, making them ideal for holding cells and allowing living tissue to grow in a very specific shape. This new field of research is called biofabrication. https://phys.org/news/2020-05-biofabrication-d-sonic-tweezers-creation.html Biotechnology Mon, 04 May 2020 09:46:41 EDT news507804398 Researchers from Cambridge University and University of California San Diego have 3-D printed coral-inspired structures that are capable of growing dense populations of microscopic algae. Their results, reported in the journal Nature Communications, open the door to new bio-inspired materials and their applications for coral conservation. https://phys.org/news/2020-04-d-printed-corals-bioenergy-coral-reefs.html Materials Science Thu, 09 Apr 2020 05:00:01 EDT news505622593 A new method of bioprinting uses aspiration of tiny biologics such as spheroids, cells and tissue strands, to precisely place them in 3-D patterns either on scaffolding or without to create artificial tissues with natural properties, according to Penn State researchers. https://phys.org/news/2020-03-machine-tiny-tissue-spheroids-precisely.html Biotechnology Fri, 06 Mar 2020 14:00:02 EST news502690752 An international team of scientists have discovered a new material that can be 3-D printed to create tissue-like vascular structures. https://phys.org/news/2020-03-biomaterial-discovery-enables-d-tissue-like.html Nanomaterials Wed, 04 Mar 2020 05:00:02 EST news502519027 For the first time, researchers have managed to make intact human organs transparent. Using microscopic imaging, they revealed complex underlying structures of the transparent organs at the cellular level. The resulting organ maps can serve as templates for 3-D bioprinting technologies. In the future, this could lead to the creation of on-demand artificial organs for many patients in need. The findings have been published in Cell. https://phys.org/news/2020-02-transparent-human-d-cellular.html Biotechnology Fri, 14 Feb 2020 08:53:02 EST news500892779 Researchers at EPFL have developed a new, high-precision method for 3-D-printing small, soft objects. The process, which takes less than 30 seconds from start to finish, has potential applications in a wide range of fields, including 3-D bioprinting. https://phys.org/news/2020-02-tiny-high-precision-seconds.html Materials Science Thu, 13 Feb 2020 08:46:52 EST news500806007 Who ever said bioengineers can't get their groove on? The Rice University team led by Antonios Mikos says otherwise with its development of a groovy method to seed sophisticated, 3-D-printed tissue-engineering scaffolds with living cells to help heal injuries. https://phys.org/news/2020-02-grooves-sophisticated.html Materials Science Tue, 04 Feb 2020 12:49:32 EST news500042965 3-D bioprinting is a highly-advanced manufacturing platform that allows for the printing of tissue, and eventually vital organs, from cells. This could open a new world of possibilities for the medical field, while directly benefiting patients who need replacement organs. https://phys.org/news/2019-12-complexities-bioprinting-multicellular-tissues.html Biochemistry Wed, 11 Dec 2019 08:09:01 EST news495274139 In a new paper, researchers at North Carolina State University lift the veil on the "conductor" plant root stem cell gene that helps orchestrate and coordinate stem cell division of different root stem cell types, ensuring the harmonic communication necessary for plant growth and maintenance. https://phys.org/news/2019-12-conductor-gene-root-stem-cell.html Biotechnology Fri, 06 Dec 2019 06:20:03 EST news494835599 Syringe-injectable biomaterials, medical devices and engineered tissues have attracted great attention as minimally-invasive implants for diagnosis, therapy and regenerative medicine. https://phys.org/news/2019-10-syringe-injectable-self-expandable-ultraconformable-magnetic-nanosheets.html Nanomaterials Wed, 30 Oct 2019 10:35:34 EDT news491650529 Tissue growth and the behavior of cells can be controlled and investigated particularly well by embedding the cells in a delicate 3-D framework. This is achieved using additive 3-D printing methods—so called "bioprinting" techniques. However, this involves a number of challenges: Some methods are very imprecise or only allow a very short time window in which the cells can be processed without being damaged. In addition, the materials used must be cell-friendly during and after the 3-D biopriting process. This restricts the variety of possible materials. https://phys.org/news/2019-10-cells-fine-d-printer.html Materials Science Mon, 21 Oct 2019 10:18:39 EDT news490871879 The prospect of astronauts tucking into a roast dinner has grown slightly closer after a successful experiment used a 3D printer to create meat on the International Space Station. https://phys.org/news/2019-10-small-nibble-d-printer-meat.html Space Exploration Wed, 09 Oct 2019 09:02:17 EDT news489830528 Bioengineers study the development of organ-specific tissues in the lab for therapeutic applications. However, the process is highly challenging, since it requires the fabrication and maintenance of dense cellular constructs composed of approximately 108 cell/mL. Research teams have used organ building blocks (OBBs) composed of patient-specific-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived organoids as a pathway to achieve the requisite cell density, microarchitecture and tissue function. However, OBBs hitherto remain to be assembled into 3-D tissue constructs. In a recent report, Mark A. Skylar-Scott and an interdisciplinary research team at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University, developed a new biomanufacturing method. https://phys.org/news/2019-09-bioengineering-organ-specific-tissues-high-cellular.html Biotechnology Tue, 17 Sep 2019 06:56:50 EDT news487922198 Tissue engineers create artificial organs and tissues that can be used to develop and test new drugs, repair damaged tissue and even replace entire organs in the human body. However, current fabrication methods limit their ability to produce free-form shapes and achieve high cell viability. https://phys.org/news/2019-08-bioprinting-complex-tissue-seconds.html Materials Science Fri, 23 Aug 2019 12:26:46 EDT news485781997 Biomedical engineers at Penn State have developed a process to build protective, synthetic plant cell walls around animal cells. The work, published in Nature Communications, could hold significant potential for a variety of medical and biomanufacturing applications for human health. https://phys.org/news/2019-07-bioengineered-cell-walls-medical-possibilities.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 17 Jul 2019 08:34:49 EDT news482571280 3-D printing human tissue could help keep astronauts healthy all the way to Mars. An ESA project has produced its first bioprinted skin and bone samples. https://phys.org/news/2019-07-upside-down-d-printed-skin-bone-mars.html Space Exploration Wed, 10 Jul 2019 08:57:40 EDT news481967850 3-D printers can be used to make a variety of useful objects by building up a shape, layer by layer. Scientists have used this same technique to "bioprint" living tissues, including muscle and bone. https://phys.org/news/2019-06-laws-physics-trial-error-approaches.html General Physics Tue, 04 Jun 2019 11:00:10 EDT news478857040 A team of researchers at Texas A&M University has developed an innovative way to print therapeutics in 3-D for regenerative medicine. https://phys.org/news/2019-06-team-bioinks-therapeutics-d.html Materials Science Mon, 03 Jun 2019 12:26:45 EDT news478783591 Three-dimensional (3-D) printing or additive manufacture (AM) is a popular technique that has presently attracted tremendous attention as a promising method to revolutionize design and manufacture. Researchers have expanded its applications from rapid prototyping to tissue engineering, electronic devices, soft robotics and high-performance metamaterials, but most 3-D printing techniques only use a single material to print parts or form components using multiple discrete properties with complex mechanical gradients that cannot be cohesively controlled. https://phys.org/news/2019-05-d-grayscale-digital-g-dlp-highly.html Materials Science Tue, 21 May 2019 09:30:05 EDT news477555091 The difficulty in spotting minute amounts of disease circulating in the bloodstream has proven a stumbling block in the detection and treatment of cancers that advance stealthily with few symptoms. With a novel electrochemical biosensing device that identifies the tiniest signals these biomarkers emit, a pair of NJIT inventors are hoping to bridge this gap. https://phys.org/news/2019-04-minute-disease-nanotechnology-enhanced-biochip.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 03 Apr 2019 03:58:12 EDT news473482684 Bioscientists are moving closer to 3-D-printed artificial tissues to help heal bone and cartilage typically damaged in sports-related injuries to knees, ankles and elbows. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-d-tissues-athletes-action.html Materials Science Thu, 28 Mar 2019 17:22:30 EDT news473012534 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have 3-D printed live cells that convert glucose to ethanol and carbon dioxide gas (CO2), a substance that resembles beer, demonstrating a technology that can lead to high biocatalytic efficiency. https://phys.org/news/2019-03-d-printed-cells-glucose-ethanol-carbon.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 06 Mar 2019 07:49:54 EST news471080987