High-speed 3D bioprinter is available, using sound waves to accurately build cell structures in seconds

New 3D bioprinter. Image source: University of Melbourne, Australia

Scientists at the University of Melbourne in Australia have developed a new high-speed 3D printer. This advanced bioprinter uses "dynamic interface printing" technology and cleverly uses sound waves to quickly and accurately build and print 3D cell structures within seconds. The relevant paper was published in the latest issue of Nature magazine.

The researchers said that this technology provides a tool for cancer research to accurately replicate specific human organs and tissues, which will greatly enhance the potential for predicting and developing new drug therapies, significantly reduce the need for animal experiments, and open up a more advanced and ethical new path for drug discovery. In addition, this technology will also help provide patients with tailored personalized treatment plans.

The researchers explained that traditional 3D bioprinting is a slow and delicate process that requires stacking cells layer by layer. However, these cells are often difficult to "precisely place", making it difficult to print accurate human tissue structures.

The new printer uses sound waves generated by vibrating bubbles to precisely manipulate and arrange cells, thereby creating precise and complex 3D tissue structures.

What’s more, the traditional 3D bioprinting process is slow, while this printer is 350 times faster than traditional methods.

In addition, the cell structures printed by traditional methods are often easily damaged when transferred to the experimental plate, affecting the integrity of the cell structure. This printer can print the cell structure directly on the laboratory plate, thus ensuring the integrity and sterility of the printed structure.

Researchers believe that bioprinting has great potential, but has been plagued by low efficiency and limited application. The latest technology has made significant progress in printing speed, product accuracy and consistency, building a bridge between laboratory research and clinical application.

In the future, researchers may collect tissue samples from patients, print customized tissue models, and screen out the best drugs through a series of drug tests, thereby greatly improving the efficiency of new drug development and promoting the realization of precision medicine.