Disease models
3D-bioprinted disease models to accelerate therapeutic discoveries in vitro.
Introduction
While animal models and 2D cell cultures have advanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms associated with diseases and their progression, drug development efforts most often fail in clinical testing because of poor efficacy in humans.
Recently, there has been tremendous interest and success in modeling human diseases through 3D cell cultures, which can better recapitulate human organ microenvironments. In vitro testing of therapeutics in human organ models offers researchers a new toolbox with the potential to significantly accelerate discovery and prevent late-stage clinical failures.
A new toolbox
With advances in bioprinter technologies and bioinks that mimic native organ microenvironments, we can now strategically fabricate more physiologically relevant models that include specific cell types, ideal mechanical properties and more appropriate spatial patterning of the cells. Such dynamic models can be fabricated with diseased cells, such as tumor cells, patient-derived cells or with healthy cell lines that can be further stimulated to promote disease progression.
Generating disease models
Our bioprinters, such as the BIO X and Lumen X, allow for the automated fabrication of complex tissue architectures that can be tailored for specific organ types. The BIO X bioprinters have three and six printheads, which can be loaded with different cell types and bioinks. A variety of bioinks have been developed for tissue-specific applications and can be used to mimic natural tissue patterns. The extrusion-based BIO X systems can 3D print more physiologically relevant disease models or healthy tissue models in a high-throughput manner into 96- or 384-well plates, or in single bulk tissues with larger cell culture dishes. Light-based bioprinting with the Lumen X and Holograph X allows for the generation of vascularized tissues.
Disease Induction and compound screening
In addition to bioprinters and bioinks, we provide user-friendly low volume dispensing instruments. Using the I.DOT, healthy tissues that were fabricated with bioprinters can be stimulated with bioactive agents in a precise and automated manner. The I.DOT makes it possible to accurately dose bioactive agents for disease induction, to rapidly generate dilution series or to screen the response in the presence of thousands of compounds or combinations thereof.
