Independent of an Outside Donor:

As mentioned previously, there is a great lack of availability of donor organs and difficulty for ACLF patients to get priority on waitlists. As such, we would like to make our 3D printed liver independent of a donor to cut out the risk of the patient dying before a match is obtained. This will be done by generating hepatocytes in one of two possible methods. The first method is that of using human embryonic stem cells to generate hepatoblasts which can form many types of liver cells (figure 5) [11]. The other method is more experimental and uses carbon nanotube scaffolding (figure 6) [12].

Biocompatible and Biomechanical Properties

One-third of organ transplants are lost to transplant rejection. We would like to ensure that our 3D-printed liver is as biocompatible as possible by utilizing biomimetic material for our scaffold (i.e. PCL coated with liver ECM) [13].

 

The stiffness of the scaffold is the most important biomechanical property to promote cell adhesion [14]. The stiffness directly affects cell aggregation as well.

 

 

Cost and Time Efficiency

Currently, the average cost of a liver transplant is around $145,277 to $181,598 [15]. In our design, we will be conscientious to use materials and methods that are cost efficient. An element of mass production may also be used to lower exorbitant costs.

Many who need to undergo a liver transplant to treat ACLF or other liver diseases either wait for long periods of time, or they die waiting for an acceptable match [16] An option to decrease wait times is to  pre-produce livers and preserve them using freezing or preservation fluids. 

 

References:

11. Zhang, M., et al., Generation of Self-Renewing Hepatoblasts From Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Chemical Approaches. Stem Cells Transl Med, 2015. 4(11): p. 1275-82.

12. Brunner, E.W., et al., Growth and proliferation of human embryonic stem cells on fully synthetic scaffolds based on carbon nanotubes. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2014. 6(4): p. 2598-603.

13. Narkhede, A.A., L.A. Shevde, and S.S. Rao, Biomimetic strategies to recapitulate organ specific microenvironments for studying breast cancer metastasis. Int J Cancer, 2017. 141(6): p. 1091-1109.

14.Mirdamadi, E.S., et al., Liver Tissue Engineering as an Emerging Alternative for Liver Disease Treatment. Tissue Eng Part B Rev, 2020. 26(2): p. 145-163.

15. van der Hilst, C.S., et al., Cost of liver transplantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the United States with other OECD countries. Med Care Res Rev, 2009. 66(1): p. 3-22.

16.Brand, D.A., et al., Waiting for a liver–hidden costs of the organ shortage. Liver Transpl, 2004. 10(8): p. 1001-10.

Figure 5: https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/946049/view/human-embryonic-stem-cells-illustration

Figure 6: https://www.britannica.com/science/carbon-nanotube

Figure 7: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycaprolactone

Figure 8: https://tissueengineering.euroscicon.com/

Figure 9: https://www.hayatmed.com/blog/organ-transplant/liver-transplant/what-is-the-cost-of-a-liver-transplant/

Figure 10: https://digital.hbs.edu/platform-rctom/submission/for-some-finding-a-match-is-about-life-and-death/