Researchers create 3D-printed living lung tissue

UBC Okanagan researchers have developed a 3D bio-printed model that closely mimics the complexity of natural lung tissue, an innovation that could transform how scientists study lung disease and develop new treatments.

Dr. Emmanuel Osei, assistant professor in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, says the model produces tissue that closely resembles the complexity of a human lung, enabling improved testing of respiratory diseases and drug development.

“To conduct our research and the testing that’s required—where we’re studying the mechanisms of complex lung diseases to eventually find new drug targets—we need to be able to make models that are comparable to human tissues.”

The research team used a bioink composed of light-sensitive polymer-modified gelatin and a polymer called polyethylene glycol diacrylate to 3D print a hydrogel that includes multiple cell types and channels to recreate vessels, mimicking the structure of a human airway.

Once printed, the hydrogel performs much like the complex mechanical properties of lung tissue, improving how researchers study cellular responses to stimuli.

“Our goal was to create a more physiologically relevant in vitro model of the human airway,” says Dr. Osei, who also works with UBC’s Center for Heart Lung Innovation. “By integrating vascular components, we can better simulate the lung environment, which is crucial for studying diseases and testing therapeutics.”

Dr. Osei explains that when someone has lung cancer, a surgeon—with the patient’s consent—can remove the cancerous section along with some normal lung tissue and provide these samples to researchers.

“However, a researcher has no control over how much tissue they will receive,” he explains. “They might get a small piece of tissue, which they bring to the lab and add various chemicals for testing. Now, with 3D bioprinting, we can isolate cells from these donated tissues and potentially recreate additional tissue and test samples to conduct research in our labs and not rely on or wait for contributed tissues.”

Dr. Osei says many forms of lung disease currently have no cure, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and cancer. Being able to establish models that allow for testing is a significant advancement in respiratory disease research and drug development.

Published in Biotechnology and Bioengineering in collaboration with Mitacs and supported by Providence Health Care, the study is a step toward assessing aspects of lung diseases such as scarring and inflammation, and may lead to future cures for various illnesses.

The paper detailed tests, including exposing the bio-printed 3D model to cigarette smoke extract, allowing the researchers to observe increases in pro-inflammatory cytokines, or markers of inflammatory responses to nicotine in lung tissue.

“The fact that we’ve been able to create the model, then use particular triggers like cigarette smoke, to demonstrate how the model will react and mimic aspects of lung disease is a significant advancement in studying complex mechanisms of lung disease that will aid in studying how we treat them,” says Dr. Osei.

“Our model is complex, but due to the reproducibility and optimal nature of bio-printing, it can be adapted to include additional cell types or patient-derived cells, making it a powerful tool for personalized medicine and disease modeling.”

Dr. Osei notes that moving forward with this work puts his research team in a unique position to collaborate with colleagues such as UBC’s Immunobiology Eminence Research Excellence Cluster, biotechnology companies and those with an interest in advancing bioartificial models.

UBC Okanagan researchers have developed a 3D bio-printed model that closely mimics the complexity of natural lung tissue, an innovation that could transform how scientists study lung disease and develop new treatments.

Dr. Emmanuel Osei, assistant professor in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, says the model produces tissue that closely resembles the complexity of a human lung, enabling improved testing of respiratory diseases and drug development.

“To conduct our research and the testing that’s required—where we’re studying the mechanisms of complex lung diseases to eventually find new drug targets—we need to be able to make models that are comparable to human tissues.”

The research team used a bioink composed of light-sensitive polymer-modified gelatin and a polymer called polyethylene glycol diacrylate to 3D print a hydrogel that includes multiple cell types and channels to recreate vessels, mimicking the structure of a human airway.

Once printed, the hydrogel performs much like the complex mechanical properties of lung tissue, improving how researchers study cellular responses to stimuli.

“Our goal was to create a more physiologically relevant in vitro model of the human airway,” says Dr. Osei, who also works with UBC’s Center for Heart Lung Innovation. “By integrating vascular components, we can better simulate the lung environment, which is crucial for studying diseases and testing therapeutics.”

Dr. Osei explains that when someone has lung cancer, a surgeon—with the patient’s consent—can remove the cancerous section along with some normal lung tissue and provide these samples to researchers.

“However, a researcher has no control over how much tissue they will receive,” he explains. “They might get a small piece of tissue, which they bring to the lab and add various chemicals for testing. Now, with 3D bioprinting, we can isolate cells from these donated tissues and potentially recreate additional tissue and test samples to conduct research in our labs and not rely on or wait for contributed tissues.”

Dr. Osei says many forms of lung disease currently have no cure, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and cancer. Being able to establish models that allow for testing is a significant advancement in respiratory disease research and drug development.

Published in Biotechnology and Bioengineering in collaboration with Mitacs and supported by Providence Health Care, the study is a step toward assessing aspects of lung diseases such as scarring and inflammation, and may lead to future cures for various illnesses.

The paper detailed tests, including exposing the bio-printed 3D model to cigarette smoke extract, allowing the researchers to observe increases in pro-inflammatory cytokines, or markers of inflammatory responses to nicotine in lung tissue.

“The fact that we’ve been able to create the model, then use particular triggers like cigarette smoke, to demonstrate how the model will react and mimic aspects of lung disease is a significant advancement in studying complex mechanisms of lung disease that will aid in studying how we treat them,” says Dr. Osei.

“Our model is complex, but due to the reproducibility and optimal nature of bio-printing, it can be adapted to include additional cell types or patient-derived cells, making it a powerful tool for personalized medicine and disease modeling.”

Dr. Osei notes that moving forward with this work puts his research team in a unique position to collaborate with colleagues such as UBC’s Immunobiology Eminence Research Excellence Cluster, biotechnology companies and those with an interest in advancing bioartificial models.