Stanford Pediatric Grand Rounds: The Long and Winding Road: Steps Towards 3D Printing a Heart

The Long and Winding Road: Steps Towards 3D Printing a Heart
PRESENTED BY
Mark Skylar-Scott, PhD
Assistant Professor of Bioengineering
Stanford Schools of Engineering and Medicine
SESSION DESCRIPTION
The biomanufacturing of a living and implantable cardiac biopump could serve as a curative solution for patients with single ventricle disease with Fontan physiology. Energizing the right-sided circulation would require billions of aligned and mature cardiomyocytes and perfused via a pervasive vascular network to supply the necessary oxygen and nutrients. 3D bioprinting is uniquely suited for embedding vascular networks into thick tissue, and is thus unlocking the third dimension of tissue engineering. Here, I will describe recent advances for building vasculaturized tissues, and highlight a path towards whole organ engineering.