The Center for the Production and Validation of Advanced Therapies (Creatio) of the University of Barcelona (UB) will acquire and launch one of the first laser-guided 4D bioprinters in all of Europe ---only Marseille has one with the same characteristics---. It is expected to be fully operational by mid-2022 and will be located in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
The new infrastructure will position the UB as a benchmark in the manufacture of tissues and organs and in the development of drugs for advanced therapies. Bioprinting consists of the artificial manufacture of human tissues through the combination of biomaterials and cells, which can be used to replace or repair a damaged one.
The latest generation bioprinter that the Barcelona university will incorporate combines several conventional bioprinting strategies, such as extrusion, with innovative ones, such as the use of laser, which allows obtaining high resolution on the exact positioning of the cells. This combination allows the development of high-quality and very precise artificial tissues.
Some of the uses that bioprinting can be given are cartilaginous and tendinous lesions, but this technology also allows developing products for pathologies that currently do not have an effective treatment, with the bioprinting of artificial skin, liver tissue, vascular tissue or bone tissue. Likewise, Creatio is investigating the use of 4D bioprinting to model neurodegenerative diseases in mini-brains.
For the director of Creatio, Josep M. Canals, the acquisition of this bioprinter represents an "important strategic leap." "Currently, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering are making great strides to produce tissues and organs in the laboratory, but a step further must be taken towards the clinic so that they can be transplanted into humans. The new bioprinter in Creatio's facilities will allow great progress in regenerative medicine applications in many diseases, ranging from skin regeneration to nervous system regeneration strategies," he explains.
To be able to launch this new infrastructure, the UB has received almost one million euros from the Ministry of Science and Innovation. Recently, the university also received 8.9 million euros to incorporate the first very high-field nuclear magnetic resonance apparatus in Spain, which will be located in the Barcelona Science Park (PCB).