Realizing the Promise of Regenerative Medicine Growing Tissues

Realizing the Promise of Regenerative Medicine: Growing Tissues and Organs for Transplantation Richard E. Swaja Director – SC Bioengineering Alliance Director – Clemson-MUSC Bioengineering SC COEE Endowed Chair in Regenerative Medicine – MUSC Conference on Resolving the Shortage of Organs for Transplantation November 20, 2009

Regenerative Medicine – Tissue Engineering Definition – Combining principles and methods from the physical and engineering sciences, medicine, and biology to exploit living cells for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. Goal - Develop innovative technologies and approaches that will enable repair, replacement, or restoration of diseased cells, tissues, and organs. The Field – Biochemistry, Biology, Biomaterials, Biomechanics, Computer Science, Engineering, Imaging, Informatics, Medicine, and Physics

The Promise Diagnostic – Grow tissues in vitro for testing drug metabolism, uptake, toxicity, and pathogenicity. Therapeutic – Grow tissues and organs in vivo or in vitro for transplantation. Vision – Industrial-type production of functional complex tissues and organs for biomedical applications.

Creating Bioartificial Complex Tissues and Organs - Biofabrication Bioprinting – Basis for fabrication - Computer-aided, layered deposition of materials (hydrogel) and living (stem) cells - Different from classic solid scaffold followed by cell seeding in bioreactor – One step compared to two - More amenable to complex tissues and organs and vascularization

Bio. Printing Using “Bio. Ink” Bio. Ink = Aggregates of stem cells + hydrogel (morphogens)

Stem Cells Derived from Fat Tissue

Induced Pluripotent (i. PS) Cells Transfect 3 genes 7 Expand to 10 ADULT HUMAN SKIN CELLS

Currently Available Industrial Bioprinters

Creating Bioartificial Complex Tissues and Organs – Vascularization Engineering a branched human vascular tree - “The” problem with creating 3 D living tissues more than 4 cell layers thick - Limits tissue engineering benefits to avascular structures (cartilage and cardiac valves)

The future of tissue and organ biofabrication depends on engineering a functional vascular tree Break 4 cell barrier

The South Carolina Project: Engineering a Vascular Tree

Roadmap & Timeline 2003 2009 2020

Biofabrication – Plus and Minus Organs generated using patient’s stem cells – no host rejection issues. Organs can be tailored to patient’s specific characteristics. Capable of industrial-type production. It’s a big endeavor and it is going to take some time, but it will be worth the effort.