IISc to start Centre on heart, cancer research through 3D bioprinting

The new CoE will house several state-of-the-art 3D bioprinters from CELLINK and will serve as a hub for several research initiatives and training activities

CELLINK and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) are partnering to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for 3D bioprinting in Bengaluru, India. The CoE, the first of its kind in the subcontinent, will be housed in the Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering (BSSE) at IISc, and will provide access to 3D bioprinting systems, enabling researchers to accelerate their work across critical applications, with the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes.

3D bioprinting is the application of additive manufacturing techniques to live cells, growth factors and/or biomaterials to fabricate biomedical parts, often with the aim to mimic natural tissue characteristics. 3D bioprinting covers a broad range of bioprinting techniques and biomaterials. Currently, bioprinting can be used to print tissue and organ models to help research drugs and potential treatments.

The new CoE will house several state-of-the-art 3D bioprinters from CELLINK and will serve as a hub for several research initiatives and training activities related to this emerging and exciting technology. Prof Govindan Rangarajan, Director, IISc, stated, “The CoE will contribute towards exploring new pathways in 3D bioprinting research and technology development. This would also align very well with the new initiative that we have launched to establish a post graduate medical school at IISc. I hope that the interdisciplinary collaboration through the CoE will create new medical technologies for affordable healthcare.”

IISc and CELLINK will work together to conduct workshops aimed at providing researchers within the institute, and elsewhere, the skills necessary to utilise 3D bioprinting in their work and reap the benefits of 3D cell culture. In addition to this, the two will undertake and advise on research projects across multiple applications spanning the fields of tissue engineering, drug discovery, material science and regenerative/personalised medicine. The Centre will have a keen focus on work around the heart, bone, cartilage and cancer.

“We are excited to host this CoE in the Institute, which will help to initiate cutting-edge research in an emerging field of technology with immense potential to benefit human health,” said Prof Narendra Dixit, Chairperson of BSSE.

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