Israel researchers prints world’s first 3D heart by using a patient’s biological material

The researchers at Tel Aviv University have successfully “printed” the world’s first three dimensional (3D) vascularised engineered heart using a patient’s own cells and biological materials to completely match the immunological, cellular, biochemical, and anatomical properties of the patient. Their findings were published in a study in Advanced Science. Until now, scientists in regenerative medicine have been successful in printing only simple tissues without blood vessels. But the latest feat is the first time scientists have created a complex organ with biological materials. The process of creating the 3D printed heart started with a biopsy of fatty tissue taken from patients. The cellular material from the tissues was used as the ” bionic ink” for the print job. That allowed researchers to create complex tissue models including cardiac patches and eventually an entire heart. The proof-of-concept feat could pave the way for a new type of organ transplant.