Bangalore Startup First From India To Develop 3D Printed Human Liver Tissue

In a first of its kind biotechnological breakthrough, Bengaluru based startup Pandorum Technologies Pvt Ltd. has successfully developed an artificial 3D printed human liver tissue that mimics the functions of the organ seamlessly. The advance is set to reform tissue engineering, facilitating affordable medical research, aiding in the development of life-saving medicines and vaccines ultimately leading to the fully transplantable 3D printed organs.

Pandorum Technologies was founded as a Biotechnology startup in 2011 by Mr. Arun Chandru & Dr. Tuhin Bhowmick, graduates of IISc, with the goal of developing bio-mimetic elastomeric protein based hydrogels for tissue engineering applications. The company is supported by grants from Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, GoI and is located at C-CAMP, Bengaluru.

The 3D printing bio-market is one of the fastest growing ones in India. The demand for developing complex human organs such as liver is especially high as it is one of the main detoxifying systems of the body and liver toxicity and drug metabolism present major hurdles in human trials.

The artificial organ systems have multiple uses - Right from bio-artificial liver support system for patients with liver failure to addressing the shortage of human organs available for surgical transplantation.

In India the ratio of patients needing liver transplants and the ones available is in the range of 50:1, 3D bioprinting technology can hence play a very vital role in reversing this scenario and saving hundreds of lives.

In the recent future, 3D bioprinted tissues will have extensive uses in pharmaceutical drug and vaccine testing. It will thus have remarkable implications in Indian markets, which has stringent drug testing regulations in place compared to other countries as the US and Japan. It would also help reduce the costs of drug R&D over a 30%. The pioneering technology hence is sure to impact a millions of lives.
3D bioprinting technology is basically used for fabricating biological constructs, using a successive layer by layer approach to generate tissue-like three dimensional structures. It is multi-billion fast growing market and advances such as ‘3D printed blood vessels’ and a ‘3D printed thyroid gland’ have already been achieved milestones in the novel field.

Progress in the area of 3D bioprinted liver transplants is being made in other parts of the world too. Some Chinese scientists recently developed ‘3D printed artificial hepatic globules’ at Hangzhou Electronic Science and Technology University. The achievement of Pandorum Technologies, aptly applauded, is however first of its kind in India.

Source:3ders.org - Pandorum Technologies becomes first in India to develop 3D bioprinted liver tissue | 3D Printer News & 3D Printing News