Researchers have discovered a way to construct biological structures from molecules and cells from natural tissues. Queen Mary University of London researchers are behind this new printing technique and they believe it will be the next innovation in studying various medical studies like cancer research and development of new drugs to fight harmful illnesses.

These are cells spreading on the outside of a PA based scaffold. Source: Clara Hedegaard

The structures that are created with this new printing process are embedded with ink that has the same general make up as the native environment. This means that they will behave just like they would in a human body, making research much easier.

This new printing process combines two previously used methods — molecular self-assembly and additive manufacturing. Molecular self-assembly assembles molecules similarly to the way Lego pieces are assembled. Additive manufacturing is a lot like 3D printing and it helps recreate the structures.

These new structures are a great addition to medical research because they can be manufactured under digital control. This means that the researchers can create these structures that are normally part of the body, without having to actually take them from the human body. It also allows them to mimic body parts and tissues for research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

"The technique opens the possibility to design and create biological scenarios like complex and specific cell environments, which can be used in different fields such as tissue engineering by creating constructs that resemble tissues or in vitro models that can be used to test drugs in a more efficient manner," said Queen Mary school of engineering and materials science professor Alvaro Mata.

"This method enables the possibility to build 3D structures by printing multiple types of biomolecules capable of assembling into well-defined structures at multiple scales," added Calar Hedegaard, a Ph.D. student. "Because of this, the self-assembling ink provides an opportunity to control the chemical and physical properties during and after printing, which can be tuned to stimulate cell behavior."

The paper on this research was published in Advanced Functional Materials.