Pharmacological researchers Anne Metje van Genderen and Marta García Valverde of Utrecht University have made 3D printed tubules. This makes it possible to simulate living tubules well and research into kidney diseases and their treatment can be carried out without the need for laboratory animals.
It is difficult to grow kidney cells in a laboratory that behave just like a real kidney. For example, kidney cells for research usually grow on flat surfaces, while in reality they grow in hollow, twisted tubes. That is why laboratory animals are still widely used in kidney research. However, the response observed in animals is often different from that observed in humans.
Van Genderen and Valverde therefore looked for alternatives and developed materials to produce models of tubules with a 3D printer. For this they use a stable ‘ink’ based on gelatin and alginate. By combining the composition of the ink, the print temperature and the speed at which the material is pressed in a certain way, an optimal structure and viscosity was created. Thanks in part to these 3D-printed tubules, fewer laboratory animals will be needed for certain kidney studies in the future. The research was recently published in Biofabrication.
Bron:
University of Utrecht