An interdisciplinary team of Missouri S&T researchers is creating organ tissue samples using bioactive glass, stem cells and a 3D printer. The project could advance pharmaceutical testing and lead to a better understanding of how diseases affect human cells.

The researchers grow stem cells and add them to hydrogelsmade of alginate, gelatin or similar substances. Then, in a step unique toMissouri S&T, the researchers add bioactive glass to supply needed calciumions to the hydrogel/cell mixture and load the mixture as bioink into a 3Dprinter. They test the samples after bioprinting to determine the stem cellfunction, the materials tensile strength, degradation and the best glass typeto add.

Different cells prefer different gels, so we work to findwhich gel combination suits our research, says Dr. Krishna Kolan, apostdoctoral researcher at S&T. The challenge is that dissolved glass addscalcium, but it changes the pH, and cells need neutral pH to survive. Wefigured out which glass and how much to add to maintain neutral pH.

Kolan says researchers are several years away from making afunctioning organ, such as a liver or kidney, and the challenge is the vascularsystem and multiple types of cells in those organs. S&T researchers areworking on ways to develop vascular systems within the bioprinted tissue. Kolansays they can imbed a channel into engineered tissue during printing, then linethe channel with endothelial cells, which are the primary cells in bloodvessels. He is working on the experiments with two undergraduate students: AugustBindbeutel (mechanical engineering) and Lesa Steen (materials science andengineering).

Endothelial cells form networks in environments they like,such as glass-infused hydrogel, Kolan says. As the network grows, itvascularizes the tissue.

As researchers work toward someday repairing or replacingorgans with engineered organs, they are creating tissue models that can be usedfor pharmaceutical testing, Kolan says. Companies can scale down thecomposition of a drug to be appropriate for a tissue sample, he says. S&Tresearchers are also currently working on 3D-printed bone models. Biologygraduate student Bradley Bromet is comparing diseased cells with healthy stemcells to see in 3D how a disease diabetes, for instance affects cells.

Kolan isworking on the project with Dr. Ming Leu, the Bailey Professor in S&Tsmechanical and aerospace engineering department; Dr. Richard Brow, interimdeputy provost in the materials science and engineering department; Dr. DelbertDay, Curators Professor Emeritus of ceramic engineering, and Dr. Julie Semon, assistant professor ofbiology and director of S&Ts Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine.

Theresearch project showcases the types of research that complement the Universityof Missouri Systems NextGen Precision Health Initiative. NextGen is expectedto accelerate medical breakthroughs and improve lives by harnessing theresearch being done at the systems four universities and training a newgeneration of health scientists and practitioners.

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Missouri S&T researchers create organ tissue with bioactive glass, stem cells and 3D printer - Missouri S&T News and Research