Abstract

A REVIEW ARTICLE ON NEW ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY IN 3D MODELS OF HUMAN ORGANS

Priyanka Sharma, Mukut Raj and Girish Kumar Vyas*

ABSTRACT

3 D technique is very useful now a day for the specification of different human models. 3D bioprinting is a technique of fabricating physical models of 3D volumetric digital image. The image is sliced and printed using a specific material (polymers, bioactive agents or biomolecules) into thin layers, and successive layering of material produces 3D bioprinting which has been widely used for printing surgical models for preoperative planning and in constructing personalised prostheses for patient. The ultimate goal is to achieve development of functional human organs and tissues, to overcome limitation of organ transplantation created by the lack of organ donors and life-long immunosuppression. 3D bioprinting has emerged as a promising approach for fabricating complex biological constructs in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicines. Organ-on-chip engineering aims to create artificial living organs that mimic the complex and physiological responses of real organs, in order to test drugs by precisely manipulating the cells and their microenvironments. A promising strategy of 3D printing which precisely controls the spatial distribution and layer-by-layer assembly of cells, ECMs (extracellular matrix) and other biomaterials. Owing to this unique advantage, integration of 3D printing into organ-on-chip engineering facilitates the creation of micro-organs with heterogeneity, a desired 3D cellular arrangement, tissue-specific functions, or even cyclic movement within a microfluidic device. Life-saving operation with 3D printed implants were already performed in patients. 3D organ models have gained increasing attention as novel preclinical test systems and alternatives to animal testing. Over the years, many excellent in vitro tissue models have been developed. In parallel, microfluidic organ-on-a-chip tissue cultures have gained increasing interest for their ability to house several organ models on a single device and interlink these within a human-like environment. However, several issues need to be addressed before translational application of 3D printing into clinical medicine. These are vascularization, innervation and financial cost of 3D printing and safety of biomaterials used for construct.

Keywords: 3D bioprinting, Organ-on-chip engineering, 3D organ models, Applications, Models.