Air-based 3D printing to create tiny blood-vessel networks in lab-grown tissues
3D Printing of Air: An Intangible Ink for Fabrication of Vascularized Tissues
A new air-based 3D printing method builds tiny blood-vessel channels quickly and cleanly to help make lab-grown tissues for people with vascular disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Pennsylvania State University, the NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (University Park, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11319838 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will use air as an intangible ink to carve open channels inside a supportive gel, avoiding the need to remove sacrificial materials. The method aims to produce stable vessel-sized channels down to about 125 micrometers and to print more than ten times faster than current sacrificial-ink approaches. Lab tests will optimize the printing, show that cells can line and survive in the channels, and demonstrate functional vascularized tissue constructs as a step toward therapies and disease models.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who might benefit from future engineered vascular grafts or who are willing to provide tissue or cell samples for related laboratory research would be the most relevant candidates.
Not a fit: Patients seeking immediate treatments should not expect direct clinical benefit now, since this is preclinical engineering work focused on lab methods.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could speed up and improve the creation of lab-grown tissues with working blood vessels, enabling better grafts and more realistic models for vascular disease treatment development.
How similar studies have performed: Previous work using removable 'sacrificial' inks has produced vascular channels but is slower and leaves residues, while this air-printing approach is novel and largely untested in clinical settings.
Where this research is happening
University Park, United States
- Pennsylvania State University, the — University Park, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ozbolat, Ibrahim — Pennsylvania State University, the
- Study coordinator: Ozbolat, Ibrahim
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.