Print 3-D stem cells with inkjet cartridges

US scientists are using inkjet cartridges to print three-dimensional structures of stem cells, contributing to boosting the cellular language decoding for medical purposes.

In the past, scientists used inkjet cartridges to print stem cells into precise patterns, and now American experts have taken this technology to another step, stem cell printing. has 3-dimensional structure (3D).

"This is a breakthrough in this area," said Paul Calvert, materials scientist at Dartmouth College, Massachusetts . We can print all kinds of cells to a surface with an inkjet printer without making the cells die, even if it's stem cells. '

In a report in Science magazine on October 12, Calvert said the 3-D technique will help discover the mysteries of interactions between cells, thereby producing parts of the muscle. human body from stem cells in the future.

3D structure of yeast cells is printed in the form of 'UMD' (abbreviation of University of Massachusetts Dartmouth - Photo: UMD)

To print a cell, Calvert installed an inkjet cartridge on a computer controlled robot. He said: 'Instead of controlling different colors of the ink, this robot will control the batches of stem cells that have been inserted into the ink injection hole'.

Calvert said the batches of cells were not damaged during the printing process. He said: 'Since cells are much smaller than spray holes, they will be sprayed out of the cartridge safely at a rate of up to 99%.'

In this new technique, cells are arranged in a thin layer, then covered with a thin film, and on that membrane they arrange a cell layer. According to Mr. Calvert, with such a layout, the cells are separated into layers but they can still be easily interconnected.

According to him, such layered and printed cells can be controlled in very detailed and specific ways. Since then, researchers will have the best conditions to decode ' cell language ' and determine which cell type is needed for the production of different body tissues.

The team hopes that in the future, the technique could print out the tiny parts of the body for use in medical tests, such as detecting drug toxicity.

Quang Thinh