Regenerative medicine corporations T&R Biofab said on the 2nd that it has completed registration of a U.S. patent related to a "bio-ink supply system technology," which is essential for mass-producing three-dimensional (3D) printed artificial organs.
Unlike general 3D printing, the bio-ink supply system technology is needed to produce large amounts of tissue and organs while stably containing living cells.
Bio-ink containing cells can settle due to gravity over time or become distributed unevenly. This poses few constraints in small-scale studies, but at the stage of mass production or fabricating organs at actual size, it has been a fatal limitation.
T&R Biofab's patented technology is characterized by continuously stirring the cells and bio-ink to maintain a consistent environment so that printing occurs with cells uniformly distributed. The company said that with this patent registration, its 3D bioprinting technology has been recognized in the United States as well, following Korea, Japan, China, and Europe.
Chief Executive Officer Yun Won-su of T&R Biofab said, "This U.S. patent is a core device technology that enables mass production of organoids and artificial organs and will serve as the technological foundation to accelerate commercialization," adding, "We will continue to lead innovation in the field of regenerative medicine and expand business results based on world-class 3D bioprinting technology."
The company has continued research and development based on its self-designed and manufactured 3D bioprinter. Recently, it announced results in developing liver and heart organoids that include vascular cells. In Mar. last year, together with researchers from Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, it revealed the world's first case of transplanting an artificial trachea made from human-derived stem cells into a patient whose trachea was damaged by thyroid cancer.