Previously, human tissue printed using a 3D printer was unable to survive on its own due a lack of blood vessels within the tissue. Blood vessels provide cells with nutrients, oxygen and the removal of waste. This process is called 'vascularisation' and, without vascularisation, tissue dies.
The research by the Universities of Sydney and Harvard has resulted in the creation of 3D bio-print capillaries using the latest bio-printers. These capillaries are created by covering 3D-printed fibres with a cell-rich protein-based material. The fibres are removed once the material solidifies. This creates a network of capillaries. It is hoped that these artificial capillaries will allow vascularisation to take place in 3D printed tissue, thereby enabling larger, more complex tissues to be created, such as 3D organs, which will survive independently.