bio-ink

n. organic or cellular fluid used in printer-like devices to construct solid, layered matrices that can be used medically or surgically. Subjects: English, Biology, Medical, Technology

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Citations: 2003 Chemistry and Industry (Apr. 7) “Printer for bone regrowth” p. 11: A printer that generates a scaffold onto which new bone can grow has been developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s Bone Tissue Engineering Center (BTEC) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.…Alongside fibrin, the group is planning to use growth factors such as insulin-type growth factor (IGF) as a bio-ink. 2005 Eric Butterfield PC World (Mar. 1) “The Print Shop: Sci-Fi Inkjet Printers”: The team’s research involves printers that place bio-ink onto successive layers of gel. On February 16, the team reported that cells had self-assembled, which is essential to creating “organ modules” that could be used to test drugs—or to create entire organs fit for transplanting. 2005 Rachel Metz Wired (Dec. 5) “Printing Organs on Demand”: Here’s how it works: A customized milling machine prints a small sheet of bio-paper. This “paper” is a variable gel composed of modified gelatin and hyaluronan, a sugar-rich material. Bio-ink blots—each a little ball of cellular material a few hundred microns in diameter—are then printed onto the paper. The process is repeated as many times as needed, the sheets stacked on top of each other. 2006 Jennifer Chu Technology Review (Dec. 19) “Printing Muscle and Bone”: For years, tissue engineers have used souped-up printers, and in some cases off-the-shelf models, to print “bio-inks.” These inks consist of anything from proteins to individual cells printed in microscopic patterns. By printing layer upon layer of cell patterns, scientists may one day be able to “print” whole tissues or organs for replacement therapies.

Posted 9 Mar 07 | Permalink | Tell a Friend