Organovo strives to advance regenerative medicine to new heights, by enabling bioprinting tissues and 3-D cellular constructs that were not possible before. The novel and flexible capabilities of the bioprinting technology allow researchers to generate data faster and more efficiently, thus leading to cutting edge scientific findings, publications, and grants.
Organovo’s 3-D NovoGen bioprinting technology allows for the placement of cells in any pattern desired. First, small building blocks of any shape are created from the desired cell type. Second, these pre-formed cell aggregates are loaded into a print cartridge that is then attached to the bio-printer. The bioprinter deposits the cell aggregates one layer at a time, creating multiple stacked 2-D patterns. A non-invasive gel is placed next to the cell aggregates to hold the desired 3-D shape as each layer is placed in 2-D.
After printing, the cell aggregates retain enough cellular mobility for them to flow into one another, creating a fused tissue construct. The principles of developmental biology, including cellular self-assembly, allow the final construct to mature into the desired shape and properties.
