Mini-liver created by 3-D bio printing

Researchers in Brazil have developed functional mini-liver by 3-D bioprinting.

According to details, researchers in Brazil have created functional mini-liver named hepatic organoids.

These mini-livers perform all the functions a normal liver does such as producing proteins, storing vitamins, releasing bile and others.

Such development enables the production of liver tissues in the laboratory in almost three months.

If it went successful, these mini-livers may be the substitute for liver transplant in the future.

The research was carried out at the Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center (HUG-CELL)

In this study, the experiment involved a combination of bioengineering techniques and 3-D technology.

It involved the cultivation of blueprint stems cells with 3D bioprinting,

The liver produced through the bioprinter carried out all the functions of the liver successfully for longer than the other experiments happened before.

The director of HUG-CELL has said that this mini-liver will surely solve the problem of organ rejection, as the cells will be chosen from the patients’ bodies.

The director of HUG-CELL Mayana Zatz has said, “More stages have yet to be achieved until we obtain a complete organ, but we’ve on the right track to highly promising results.”

“In the very near future, instead of waiting for an organ transplant, it may be possible to take cells from the patient and reprogram them to make a new liver in the laboratory.”

“Another important advantage is zero probability of rejection, given that the cells come from the patient.”