Scientists can now create artificial blood vessels with 3D printing

Sure, we can now 3D print stem cells and even whole organs like kidneys, heart, liver and lungs. But 3D printing blood vessels? Now that was a challenge. A team from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston has managed to successfully fabricate blood vessels using a three-dimensional bioprinting technique, Phys.org reports. Here’s how they did it: “The researchers first used a 3D bioprinter to make an agarose fiber template to serve as the mold for the blood vessels. They then covered the mold with a gelatin-like substance called hydrogel, forming a cast over the mold which was then reinforced via photocrosslinks.”.