A team of researchers at UBC Okanagan has created a 3D-printed model of living lung tissue that closely mimics the real thing.
This breakthrough could help scientists better understand lung diseases and develop new treatments more quickly and effectively.
Dr. Emmanuel Osei, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Science, explains that this new model is one of the most realistic recreations of human lung tissue ever developed in a lab.
By using advanced 3D bioprinting, his team has created tissue that behaves like a real lung, including its complex structure and mechanical movements.
This makes it much more useful for studying how lung diseases work and how potential treatments might affect lung cells.
To build the model, the researchers used a special “bioink” made from light-sensitive gelatin and a soft, flexible material called polyethylene glycol diacrylate.
These ingredients form a gel that can be printed into a structure resembling the human airway, complete with tiny channels that act like blood vessels and airways. This allows the printed lung tissue to perform and respond more like real lungs do.
Dr. Osei, who is also affiliated with UBC’s Center for Heart Lung Innovation, says the ability to recreate lung tissue in the lab is a game-changer.
Right now, scientists studying lung disease often rely on donated tissue from surgeries, but those samples are limited and unpredictable in size.
With this new method, researchers can take cells from donated tissue and create as much test material as they need, which saves time and opens up new possibilities for research.
This technology could help in the study of diseases like asthma, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, all of which currently have no cure.
The team has already tested their 3D-printed lung model by exposing it to cigarette smoke extract. They observed real biological responses, such as increases in inflammatory markers—just like what happens in human lungs exposed to smoke.
The results were published in the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering, and the work was supported by Providence Health Care and Mitacs. Dr. Osei says the model is flexible and can be customized with more cell types or even patient-specific cells, which could lead to personalized treatments in the future.
This advancement puts Dr. Osei’s lab in a strong position to collaborate with other researchers and biotech companies that are working toward new therapies and better understanding of lung diseases. The goal is not just to model disease, but eventually to find real solutions and possibly cures.
If you care about lung health, please read studies about marijuana’s effects on lung health, and why some non-smokers get lung disease and some heavy smokers do not.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
Source: University of British Columbia.
