mo4ch:>World’s 1st 3D-printed heart with ‘cells, blood vessels’ unveiled in Israel (PHOTOS) | Mo4ch News
Israeli researchers are claiming a “major medical breakthrough” by successfully producing the world’s first 3D vascularized, artificially-engineered heart, made using a patient’s own cells.Until now, 3D printing has only been used to produce simple tissues without blood vessels, including making the structure of a heart but without the necessary vascular elements to make it actually pump. While the Tel Aviv University (TAU) team’s 3D-printed heart doesn’t actually work yet, it is the closest anyone has ever come to artificially replicating one of our most complex and vital organs.“The cells need to form a pumping ability; they can currently contract, but we need them to work together. Our hope is that we will succeed and prove our method’s efficacy and usefulness,” said Prof. Tal Dvir of TAU’s School of Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology as cited by The Jerusalem Post. The research was published in Advanced Science on Monday.READ MORE: Organs grown in space: Russian scientists 3…