An agile bio-manufacturing platform for production of blood vasculature
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: Dentistry
Abstract
Nature is the prime example of complex and sophisticated manufacturing. The human body is constructed by cells and support matrices where a variety of biomolecules perform complex functions in development, normal function and regeneration. This delicate balance is disturbed in disease or trauma and confounded by the body's declining regenerative capacity with increasing age. Organ transplantation has saved many lives and millions of pounds to the NHS, however every day 4 people in the UK die while on the waiting list. Those fortunate to receive organ transplants require immunosuppressant drugs, making them prone to infection and increased risk of cancer. There is a dire need for artificially engineered organs and tissue grafts, that engraft successfully on implantation without the need for immunosuppression. Furthermore, cardiovascular disease is the top cause of death globally. This is caused by problems with the heart or the circulatory system. Transformative solutions are required to meet the rising unmet clinical need for organ transplantation and cardiovascular diseases.
The aim of this project is to develop an adventurous manufacturing workflow to recreate the structural and cellular complexity of blood vessels by employing novel manufacturing strategies. The project combines advanced materials, 3D printing and advanced imaging to provide transformative solutions to key healthcare challenges facing our aging society. This project will address the growing demand for functional tissue grafts and organs for transplantation and drug discovery. To date, a major hurdle in engineering artificial tissue has been the inability to reproduce the blood vessel micro- and macro-architecture.
Our novel manufacturing research idea is to develop a complex and sophisticated fluid delivery system, with a 3D printer to recreate blood vessels in the laboratory. Our research will enable the rapid production of blood vessels from small (width of hair) to large (centimetres) sizes, and harness advanced biomaterials, designed to change from solution to gel by mixing in the fluid delivery system, to achieve this goal.
The aim of this project is to develop an adventurous manufacturing workflow to recreate the structural and cellular complexity of blood vessels by employing novel manufacturing strategies. The project combines advanced materials, 3D printing and advanced imaging to provide transformative solutions to key healthcare challenges facing our aging society. This project will address the growing demand for functional tissue grafts and organs for transplantation and drug discovery. To date, a major hurdle in engineering artificial tissue has been the inability to reproduce the blood vessel micro- and macro-architecture.
Our novel manufacturing research idea is to develop a complex and sophisticated fluid delivery system, with a 3D printer to recreate blood vessels in the laboratory. Our research will enable the rapid production of blood vessels from small (width of hair) to large (centimetres) sizes, and harness advanced biomaterials, designed to change from solution to gel by mixing in the fluid delivery system, to achieve this goal.
Publications
Moetazedian A
(2023)
Versatile Microfluidics for Biofabrication Platforms Enabled by an Agile and Inexpensive Fabrication Pipeline.
in Advanced healthcare materials
Shirgill S
(2023)
Silver-doped bioactive glass fibres as a potential treatment for wound-associated bacterial biofilms.
in Biofilm
Poologasundarampillai G
(2021)
Real-time imaging and analysis of cell-hydrogel interplay within an extrusion-bioprinting capillary
in Bioprinting
Jayash SN
(2021)
Novel Chitosan-Silica Hybrid Hydrogels for Cell Encapsulation and Drug Delivery.
in International journal of molecular sciences
Moetazedian Amirpasha
(2023)
Microfluidic-based 3D bioprinting for fabrication of helical fibres
in TISSUE ENGINEERING PART A
Barker CR
(2022)
In Situ Sol-Gel Synthesis of Unique Silica Structures Using Airborne Assembly: Implications for In-Air Reactive Manufacturing.
in ACS applied nano materials
Lewns F
(2023)
Hydrogels and Bioprinting in Bone Tissue Engineering: Creating Artificial Stem-Cell Niches for In Vitro Models
in Advanced Materials
Khan AO
(2023)
Human Bone Marrow Organoids for Disease Modeling, Discovery, and Validation of Therapeutic Targets in Hematologic Malignancies.
in Cancer discovery
Description | Our team on the adventurous manufacturing project "An agile bio-manufacturing platform for production of blood vasculature" (EP/V051342/1) has been extremely productive, de-risking and generating several firsts in a short 1.5-year period. Our transformative achievements include: - an innovative manufacturing pipeline (A1), novel fluidic chips (A2)5-6 and advanced hybrid materials (A3) to produce blood vessel mimics (A4) (Fig. 1). Our proposed follow-on will build on these extremely promising results to transform drug-discovery process by developing body-on-a-chip devices. These closely mimic human systemic physiology and thus enable early identification of inefficacious and toxic candidate compounds, thus saving costs, resources and time for a better sustainable and productive future. - assembling and growing a team with established skillset in working together, productively. Looking ahead, we have retained the talent pool and expanded it with new members and partners with complementary skillsets in biology, manufacturing and innovation to collectively deliver the proposed project. |
Exploitation Route | We have submitted a follow-on proposal to EPSRC to continue this work. |
Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Healthcare Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
Description | Epithelial barrier model: in silico modelling and high throughput assessment |
Amount | £200,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | NC/X002322/1 |
Organisation | National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 02/2023 |
End | 01/2025 |
Description | LiSaN-BioFab: A Combined Manufacturing And Imaging Facility For The Development Of Engineered Organs |
Amount | £10,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | British Council |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2021 |
End | 12/2022 |
Description | Open Wide |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | We setup an exhibition on our project at the Birmingham Dental Hospital ground floor for over 6 months. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
URL | https://bdhopenwide.com/spectacular-glass/ |