Researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) have developed a new 3D-printing method, co-SWIFT, that marks a significant step toward creating lab-grown organs. This innovative method allows scientists to print branching networks of blood vessels within human cardiac tissue that mimic the structure and function of natural human vasculature.
The co-SWIFT process involves a unique core-shell nozzle that precisely layers a collagen-based shell ink around a gelatin-based core. This layered architecture creates vessels with smooth muscle cells (SMCs) on the outer shell and endothelial cells (ECs) lining the inner core, closely replicating human blood vessels. After printing, the gelatin core is melted away, leaving an open, perfusable network that allows for nutrient and oxygen flow through the tissue.
Testing demonstrated that both SMCs and ECs thrived within the printed vessels for over a week, showing reduced permeability and increased stability under pressure, which could one day enable patient-specific organ development for personalized medicine. Published in Advanced Materials, this breakthrough brings scientists closer to the dream of implantable, lab-grown human organs.
Source: Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard