Bioprinting a pancreas

March 12, 2013

The Biomanufacturing Laboratory at the University of Iowa College of Engineering’s Center for Computer Aided Design is  developing a process for bioprinting a glucose-sensitive pancreatic organ that can be grown in a lab and transplanted anywhere inside the body to regulate the glucose level of blood.

Their bioprinter has multiple arms that can print several materials concurrently. This capability offers a time-saving advantage when attempting to print a human organ because one arm can be used to create blood vessels while the other arm is creating tissue-specific cells in between the blood vessels.

— University of Iowa