Biotechnology startup VERIGRAFT has been awarded €1.2 million to support its efforts to develop patient-specific 3D printed arterial grafts.
Working with commercial and academic partners in Sweden & Switzerland, VERIGRAFT plans to deploy 3D printing, advanced fiber technology, and tissue engineering to create grafts that mimic real arteries. It’s thought that 3D printed arteries would be less prone to rejection than other synthetic alternatives, giving transplant patients the best possible survival chances.
Accelerating biotechnology R&D
Unfortunately, many patients’ immune systems reject transplants, leaving them dependent on immunosuppressants for the rest of their lives. These come with dangerous side effects, so transplants tend only to be used as a last resort. According to VERIGRAFT, overcoming this kind of rejection requires the creation of tissues that closely resemble a patient’s own.
That’s why the company has come up with its own patent-protected procedure for tissue customization. Effectively, this allows for the removal of components that would be rejected by a patient’s immune system, and their replacement with a patient’s own biological material.
One day, it’s hoped that the technology will be used to treat vein, artery, and nerve disease, as well as more urgent clinical needs such as heart valve failure. As part of the PREPPER (PREcision Printed PERsonalized Tissue Therapies) project, VERIGRAFT is now taking its research to the next level. Working with Readily3D, RISE, and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, its team are working to 3D print biocompatible, ultra-durable prototypes.
Awarded in the form of a Eurostars grant, with co-funding from the EU’s Horizon Europe program, the firm’s €1.2 million funding boost will help it progress towards future clinical trials.
“This Eurostars grant is a major milestone for VERIGRAFT and regenerative medicine. With PREPPER, we are accelerating the future of personalized tissue therapies,” said Dr Raimund Strehl, CTO of VERIGRAFT. “The global vascular graft market is projected to exceed $4 billion by 2026, and PREPPER positions Europe at the forefront of 3D bioprinting and regenerative medicine.”
3D bioprinting: The future is now?
3D printing transplantable tissues may sound like something from a sci-fi movie, but they’re slowly becoming a reality. In clinical settings, it has already proven possible to 3D print tissues with vascular channels, and even to create tiny experimental organs.
Frontier Bio, for example, has developed microscale 3D bioprinted lung tissues. Unveiled last year, this research breakthrough was made possible by stem cells, which are capable of self-organizing into microtissues. In future, it’s thought the tissues could be used as a more ethical alternative to animal drug testing.
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have gone a step further – 3D printing functioning brain tissues. Rather than implantation, these neuron-loaded tissue structures are being designed for research into neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Overall, it’s clear that 3D bioprinting research is advancing in leaps and bounds. Even if it doesn’t quite make it to the transplant stage, the technology will surely have a big role to play in the future of clinical R&D.
