3D Printing
News Videos Newsletter Contact us
Home / News / FRESH 2: Printing Heart Components From Collagen Bioinks
qidi

FRESH 2: Printing Heart Components From Collagen Bioinks

August 2, 2019

While many researchers have long been investigating a method for bioprinting a heart, this year has marked some stunning breakthroughs. Most notably scientists at Tel Aviv university were able to print a miniature heart, as we covered previously. This time around Carnegie Melon University has developed a new method they call FRESH 2, which allows them to 3D print strands of collagen. Such a method could be a massive boon to the production cardiovascular cells and collagen scaffolds.

Related Story
3D Printed Heart Marks a Breakthrough in Bioprinting

The main issue with a lot of heart bioprinting experiments has been one of size. While the Tel Aviv researchers printed a heart, it was too small to suit a real person. Similarly, other researchers like BIOLIFE4D have mainly been doing patches and smaller scaffolds. The researchers here have successfully 3D printed five components of the human heart spanning capillary to full-organ scale. They also printed a heart valve that could open and close, and a model of a newborn heart.

“We’re nowhere near a functional heart that you can put into a human,” lead researcher, Andrew Lee stressed. “But this is an important step forward.”

Collagen Bioprinting

FRESH 2: 3D Printing A Heart From Collagen Bioink
Trileaflet heart valve printed using collagen and Freeform Reversible Embedding of Suspended Hydrogels (FRESH) technology.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. It forms a crucial part of the “extracellular matrix”, which is a network of molecules that surround your body cells, giving them structure and chemical support. This method of bioprinting avoids a major drawback in previous methods by printing living cells and soft biological material. The researchers have also stated that the approach can not only print collagen, but also other important biological substances, like fibrinogen and hyaluronic acid, so it displays a whole range of functions for bioprinting.

Other studies have found this aspect to be troublesome because collagen starts out as a fluid and deforms into a puddle when bioprinted by itself. However, within a gel, the researchers can remove collagen after the bioprinting is done. This gives it ample time to solidify. The FRESH 2 method can print tiny collagen fibers of 20 micrometers in diameter, allowing for excellent resolution.

When the researchers printed the collagen “bioink” with human heart-muscle cells, they built a small model of the heart’s left ventricle. They even displayed the ability to create micro-architectures within the body using the patient own stem cells. After a few days, the ventricles showed the capacity to contract. Such technology could yield a proper heart with further, future research.

Featured image courtesy of Carnegie Mellon University. The full study is available here.

Share:
WhatsApp Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Buffer Reddit E-mail
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Latest posts

Scottish Maritime Project Shows Promise for 3D Printed Ship Components

A Scottish project using large-scale additive manufacturing for shipbuilding components has completed its second phase, demonstrating potential benefits for the maritime industry. The... read more »

News
Scottish Maritime Project Shows Promise for 3D Printed Ship Components

Navy Maintenance Center Uses 3D Printing to Replace Destroyer Pump Component at Fraction of Conventional Cost

The Southeast Regional Maintenance Center (SERMC) has successfully used 3D printing to manufacture a replacement cooling rotor for an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile... read more »

Military
Navy Maintenance Center Uses 3D Printing to Replace Destroyer Pump Component at Fraction of Conventional Cost

Rapid Fusion Launches AI Assistant for Large-Format 3D Printers

British manufacturer Rapid Fusion has introduced "Bob," an AI-powered assistant designed to optimize operations for its large-format 3D printing systems. The company developed... read more »

News
Rapid Fusion Launches AI Assistant for Large-Format 3D Printers

Creality Submits IPO Prospectus for Hong Kong Stock Exchange Listing

Shenzhen-based 3D printer manufacturer Creality has submitted a prospectus to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for a main board listing. The company began... read more »

News
Creality Submits IPO Prospectus for Hong Kong Stock Exchange Listing

Graphjet Technology Partners with Malaysian University on 3D-Printed Heat Sink Development

Graphjet Technology has entered into a collaboration agreement with the Centre for Materials Engineering and Smart Manufacturing (MERCU) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).... read more »

News
Graphjet Technology Partners with Malaysian University on 3D-Printed Heat Sink Development

Humtown drives US Manufacturing Comeback with Additive Sand Casting

Humtown Products, an Ohio-based company, is positioning itself to serve manufacturers looking to bring production back to the United States. The company specializes... read more »

News
Humtown drives US Manufacturing Comeback with Additive Sand Casting

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Releases Advanced Dataset for 3D Printing Quality Monitoring

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has released a comprehensive dataset for its Peregrine software, which monitors and analyzes parts created through powder bed additive... read more »

News
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Releases Advanced Dataset for 3D Printing Quality Monitoring

Creality Expands Flagship Lineup with K2 and K2 Pro 3D Printers

Creality has announced the launch of the K2 and K2 Pro, two new additions to its high-end K series. Built on a rigid... read more »

3D Printers
Creality Expands Flagship Lineup with K2 and K2 Pro 3D Printers

Farsoon and Stark Future Complete KLINGA Project, Producing Over 1,000 Titanium Parts

Farsoon Europe GmbH and Stark Future have completed the KLINGA Project, a collaborative engineering initiative that produced more than 1,000 titanium parts using... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Farsoon and Stark Future Complete KLINGA Project, Producing Over 1,000 Titanium Parts

Swiss Steel Group’s Ugitech Introduces Custom Wire for 3D Metal Printing

Swiss Steel Group and its French subsidiary Ugitech have launched UGIWAM wire, a new product designed for wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). The... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Swiss Steel Group's Ugitech Introduces Custom Wire for 3D Metal Printing

Social

  • Facebook Facebook 3D Printing
  • Linkedin Linkedin 3D Printing
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Fashion
  • Medical
  • Military
  • QIDI Tech Q1 Pro

    • - Print size: 245 x 245 x 245 mm
    • - 600mm/s max speed
    More details »
    $449.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Tech X-Max 3

    • - Print size: 325 x 325 x 315 mm
    • - fully enclosed
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • Snapmaker Artisan Premium 3-in-1

    • - Print size: 400 x 400 x 400 mm
    • - comes with enclosure
    More details »
    $2,999.00 Snapmaker
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Plus4

    • - Print size: 305 x 305 x 280 mm
    • - print temperature of 370°C
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now

Company Information

  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing

Blog

  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal

Featured Reviews

  • Anycubic Photon Mono M5s
  • Creality Ender 5 S1
  • The Mole 3D Scanner
  • Flashforge Creator 3 Pro

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
2025 — Strikwerda en Dehue
  • Home
  • Join our mailing list
  • Contact us
Blog
  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal
Featured Industries
  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
Company Information
  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing