Researchers at Drexel university of Philadelphia and Tsinghua University of Beijing are claiming that using embryonic stem cells combined with hydrogel scaffolds, they can finally print micro-organs. These micro-organs can be anything from brain tissue, heart cells or bone.

The MESO-BRAIN consortium received €3.3 million funding from European Commision under its Future and Emerging Technology (FET) funding program. Meso-Brain is currently planning to support the development of human neural networks that emulate brain activity using human induced pluripotent stem cells differentiated into neurons.

Nano Dimesnion has announced that it has filed patent application too U.S Patent and Trademark Office for the 3D printing of stem cells. The patent discloses it will be using MRI and CT scans to print biological structure of the tissue or organ using 3D bioprinter and bioink materials. The patent came after concept of 3D printing stem cells weeks back.

Scientists at the University of Bristol have developed a new kind of stem-cell containing bio-ink, which could eventually allow the production of complex tissues for surgical implants. This new bio-ink contains two different polymers, a natural and a synthetic one. Team has been successful to 3D Print full-size tracheal cartilage ring and expect to print surgical bone or cartilage implants with it.

NYC-based startup called EpiBone is working to discover alternate sources for 3D printing bone, and one of the abundant source is animal bone material. EpiBone team is building a 3D printed scaffold to create an environment in which a body’s own fat tissue stem cells can grow into new bone for which they are using animal bones that have been stripped of all its cellular material.

Researchers at Biomedical Research Institute of La Paz Hospital (IdiPAZ) in Spain are working to 3D print cornea substitutes, using a patient’s own stem cells and thereby reduce the huge global demand of over 10 million people to donate corneas. The project called ‘Cornal stroma fabrication’ will include use of steam cells from patients to be used for 3D printing the custom corneas and using tissue engineering to regenerate different layers of the cornea for Corneal Transplant.

Dr. Pardraig Strappe, a microbiologist in central Queensland along with a team of researchers at CQUniversity, is using 3D printing, human stem cells, and crocodile cartilage to develop a 3D Printed Joint Cartilage to treat arthritis and joint injuries. The process involves extracting growth factors from crocodile cartilage, removing the proteins that set off a human immune response and adding adult stem cells using CELLINK 3D bioprinter.