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During research, scientists often lament the limited access to human tissue samples of specific sizes and types needed for many projects. This problem could be solved with the help of a 3D bioprinter. However, such equipment is incredibly expensive. Few research groups can afford it.
The team from the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Cardiff University (UK) has found a solution. They created an inexpensive bioprinter using Lego building blocks. This way, the researchers significantly reduced the financial costs of ongoing studies that require samples of biological tissues.
Scientists spent only $624 to create a 3D bioprinter from a popular children’s toy.
How a creative idea was brought to life.
Bioprinters give scientists the ability to grow cells in three dimensions. This technology best replicates the complex architecture of human biological tissue. In other words, through bioprinting, researchers create more accurate models for studying healthy and diseased tissues.
Deciding to create an inexpensive 3D printer, a multidisciplinary team of engineers and biologists chose Lego as the basis for their idea. As the scientists explained their choice, the toy is not only cheap and versatile, but its standardized parts also have very high precision. Moreover, these building sets are available worldwide, the publication reported. Science Alert .
Researchers reminded that Lego bricks had previously been used to create 3D printers. However, it remained unclear whether the basic idea of a printer that prints solid structures from plastic could be adapted to develop a device that would print soft biological material.
Finally, the idea was successfully brought to life. In creating their “affordable high-performance” bioprinter, the team used standard Lego parts, a Lego Mindstorms kit for school robotics classes, and a laboratory pump.
As researchers noted, their 3D bioprinter is still in its infancy. For some time, the invention will need to be refined in order to ultimately achieve the necessary level of precision for producing delicate biological material.
According to scientists, the bioprinter works quite simply. The nozzle deposits a gel-like substance filled with cells into a dish. The device moves it back and forth and up and down. As the gel is extruded, layers of cells are created, gradually reproducing a three-dimensional structure of biological tissue.
And what comes next?
The team reported that in the future, the bioprinter can be modified to use different types of nozzles for printing various types of cells. This will help to accurately simulate healthy and diseased tissues. skin and at the same time – to discover new methods for treating skin diseases.
Inventors from Cardiff have published detailed information online on how to build a 3D bioprinter using Lego. They provided clear instructions for anyone who wishes to create such a device anywhere in the world.
This information will be particularly useful for scientists facing limited research funding. Now they will have “an open, accessible, and affordable alternative to vital equipment that exceeds the budget of most researchers,” noted the inventors. They hope that the Lego 3D bioprinter will help scientists conduct innovative research aimed at improving human health.
