Futuristic technology to build new human organs and a diagnostic test to detect liver disease at an earlier stage — both being pioneered by researchers at The University of Nottingham — are to be unveiled this week at a prestigious science exhibition in London.
Two Nottingham teams, which also feature clinicians from Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, are among just 21 from around the country to be offered a stand at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2013, taking place from Tuesday July 2 to Sunday July 7, taking place from Tuesday July 2 to Sunday July 7, which is designed to give the public access to exciting cutting edge science and technology.
On the Biology Builders stand a team of tissue engineering experts from the University’s School of Pharmacy will be showing visitors how scientists are working to adapt three-dimensional printing technology already used in manufacturing to ‘print’ with living human cells and grow new organs specifically designed for individual patients. , are among just 21 from around the country to be offered a stand at the , taking place from Tuesday July 2 to Sunday July 7, which is designed to give the public access to exciting cutting edge science and technology.On the stand a team of tissue engineering experts from the University’s School of Pharmacy will be showing visitors how scientists are working to adapt three-dimensional printing technology already used in manufacturing to ‘print’ with living human cells and grow new organs specifically designed for individual patients.
Dr Glen Kirkham said: “The potential of this science for the future development of organ replacements is immense. There are still numerous technological challenges to overcome but we could begin to see limited clinical applications of these techniques for tissue repair within five to 10 years”
The 3D printing uses biodegradable polymers to create ‘scaffolding’ on which human stem cells can grow, giving the tissue structure and shape.
Tissue engineering scaffolds
Visitors to the stall will have the chance to see a 3D printer in action producing interactive models of human organs such as a heart, liver, kidney or bones from the spine. They will also have the opportunity to mould a hydrogel called alginate, one of the substances used for producing tissue engineering scaffolds as it provides an ideal environment for growing human cells.
In addition, there will be the opportunity to view microscopic patterns made by stencilling stem cells on to petri dishes, which will demonstrate how positioning cells into specific locations could help to develop more successful structures for future clinical applications.
And a hands-on experiment will allow visitors to remotely control a holographic optical tweezer system back at The University of Nottingham to grab hold of individual, live stem cells and move them around in real-time using an iPad.
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Posted on Tuesday 2nd July 2013