Tailored repairs, using a 3D “printing” technique, for people who suffer brain injuries could be a step closer, British scientists have reported.
Researchers at the University of Oxford have shown for the first time that neural cells can be 3D printed to mimic the architecture of the cerebral cortex.
In this new study, published in the latest Nature Communications, the researchers fabricated a two-layered brain tissue by 3D ‘printing’ human neural stem cells that, when implanted into mouse brain slices, showed “convincing structural and functional integration with the host tissue”.
Lead author Dr Yongcheng Jin, from the university’s Department of Chemistry, said: “This advance marks a significant step towards the fabrication of materials with the full structure and function of natural brain tissues. The work will provide a unique opportunity to explore the workings of the human cortex and, in the long term, it will offer hope to individuals who sustain brain injuries.”
The cortical structure was made from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), which were differentiated into neural progenitor cells for two different layers of the cerebral cortex using specific combinations of growth factors and chemicals.
The cells were suspended in solution to generate two bioinks, which were then printed to produce a two-layered structure. In culture, the printed tissues maintained their layered cellular architecture for weeks.
When the printed tissues were implanted into mouse brain slices, they showed strong integration and the implanted cells also showed signalling activity. This, say the researchers, indicates the human and mouse cells were communicating with each other, demonstrating functional and structural integration.
Senior author Associate Professor Francis Szele, from the university’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, said: “The use of living brain slices creates a powerful platform for interrogating the utility of 3D printing in brain repair. It is a natural bridge between studying 3D printed cortical column development in vitro and their integration into brains in animal models of injury.”
The research team wants to further refine the droplet printing technique to create complex multi-layered cerebral cortex tissues that more realistically mimic the human brain’s architecture.
Integration of 3D-Printed Cerebral Cortical Tissue into an ex vivo Lesioned Brain Slice. Nature Communications 4 October 2023.
Leave a Reply