Harnessing innovation for 3D printed organs

Challenge Works is exploring opportunities to accelerate innovation in the development of 3D printed biological tissues and organs which have the potential to revolutionise medicine and provide vital alternatives for organ transplants.

The demand for organ replacements continues to outstrip supply, with over 100,000 people on the waiting list in the US alone compared to a supply of only 14,000 organ donors. In the UK, there are currently over 7000 people on the organ transplant waiting list, contributing to high public health costs (for example, to maintain someone with kidney failure on dialysis) as well as risk of deterioration and even death. Last year, over 420 people in the UK reportedly died whilst waiting for a transplant.

We urgently need alternative approaches to meet the global need for organ transplants, as well as other in-vitro applications including drug screening and disease modelling. 3D organ bioprinting is one solution being developed by scientists to tackle these challenges, offering the opportunity to manufacture biologically active 3D human organs grown from a patient’s own stem cells and using accurate computer models based on that patient’s specific parameters. This can allow clinicians and scientists to generate biological organs that are individualised and less susceptible to organ rejection, as well as bypassing the need to wait for donor organs.

However, we are still several years from seeing 3D printed organs, especially complex organs like a kidney, which are suitable for human transplants. Although progress has been made in printing simple organs like cartilage and skin, there remain major technical, ethical and regulatory barriers to overcome before this approach can become widespread and accessible to all for clinical purposes.

This is why Challenge Works is pursuing opportunities to use challenge prizes as a way to drive forward the development of this technology, as well as helping to create new regulatory standards and ensure that outcomes meet those standards.

One of the gaps identified for a prize approach is in the creation of 3D printed blood vessels for application in heart bypass operations. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, which creates a huge global need for improved heart bypass materials and procedures. By bringing together innovators and researchers from across disciplines, a prize can help overcome some of the challenges around printability and materials structure in order to fabricate healthy, functional blood vessels that can dilate and contract in response to hormones in the body.

Another significant challenge to be overcome in the deployment of 3D printed organs is timescale: the current process of fabricating an artificial organ via 3D bioprinting from patient stem cells can take several months, which is too long to be clinically relevant for applications like drug screening. We think that the incentive created by a prize can help accelerate progress towards the ambitious goal of a Four week printed lung, bringing together the innovation potential of advanced and high resolution 3D printing techniques, alongside those with expertise in cell culture and other important steps in the organ fabrication process. Through bringing these experts together with the appropriate support, we know that innovations can deliver the speed, accuracy and efficiency required.

3D bioprinting is an exciting area of development, and a lot of the foundational work is already in place. By providing the incentives and necessary support now, we can accelerate progress towards technologies that can transform our healthcare system.

We think this is an important topic – do you?

Challenge Works is seeking like-minded funders who also see this opportunity and want to work with us on developing our thinking around 3D printed organs.

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