3d bioprinting of the kidney

Sanna Turunen1,2, Susanna Kaisto3, Ilya Skovorodkin3, Vladimir Mironov4,5, Tomi Kalpio1, Seppo Vainio3,6, Aleksandra Rak-Raszewska3

1 3DTech Oy, Hyvoninkatu 1, 24240 Salo, Finland
2 Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Group, BioMediTech and Faculty of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, Tampere University of Technology, Korkeakoulunkatu 3, 33720 Tampere, Finland
3 Biocenter Oulu, Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Oulu, Aapistie 5, 90220 Oulu, Finland
4 3D Bioprinting Solutions, 68/2 Kashirskoe highway, 115409 Moscow, Russia
5 Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Sechenov Medical University, Trubetzkaya Street 7, 119991, Moscow, Russia
6 Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Biocenter Oulu, InfoTech Oulu, Oulu University and Biobank Borealis of Northern Finland, Oulu University Hospital, 90220 Oulu, Finland

Received: 14 May 2018 , Accepted: 13 August 2018 , Published: 28 August 2018

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is an evolving technique that is expected to revolutionize the field of regenerative medicine. Since the organ donation does not meet the demands for transplantable organs, it is important to think of another solution, which may and most likely will be provided by the technology of 3D bioprinting. However, even smaller parts of the printed renal tissue may be of help, e.g. in developing better drugs. Some simple tissues such as cartilage have been printed with success, but a lot of work is still required to successfully 3D bioprint complex organs such as the kidneys. However, few obstacles still persist such as the vascularization and the size of the printed organ. Nevertheless, many pieces of the puzzle are already available and it is just a matter of time to connect them together for 3D bioprinting of the kidney. The 3D bioprinting technology provides the precision and fast speed required for generating organs. In this review, we describe the recent developments in the field of developmental biology concerning the kidneys; characterize the bioinks available for printing and suitable for kidney printing; present the existing printers and possible printing strategies. Moreover, we identify the most difficult challenges in printing of the kidneys and propose a solution, which may lead to successful bioprinting of the kidney.

Keywords:  organ biofabrication; bioprinting of kidneys; organoids; bioink; 3D bioprinters; printing strategy

Citation: Sanna Turunen, Susanna Kaisto, Ilya Skovorodkin, Vladimir Mironov, Tomi Kalpio, Seppo Vainio, Aleksandra Rak-Raszewska. 3D bioprinting of the kidney—hype or hope?. AIMS Cell and Tissue Engineering, 2018, 2(3): 119-162. doi: 10.3934/celltissue.2018.3.119

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