3D Stem Cell Engineering

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This is The Lab Beat,

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where we catch the pulse of cutting-edge
labs.

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I'm Natalie Tso.

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Imagine — if someone who needs a new liver
could just print one

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with this 3D bioprinter
using a sample of their own cells.

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That's the vision behind stem
cell engineering.

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Popular Science named Quinton
Smith “a scientist

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on the cusp of changing the world” in 2023

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because of his 3D approach to stem
cell engineering.

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What inspired Smith
to get into this field?

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Science fiction.

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This idea that we can take any human cell
in the body,

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reprogram
it all the way to an embryonic state

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and create any cell type in the human body
for regenerative medicine.

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I kind of envision like a world
where maybe we don't need to take drugs,

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but maybe we can use the cell
as the therapy.

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This is how it would work
with a liver problem.

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Let's say my liver is failing, right?

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I take a biopsy of my skin, reprogram
those cells to an embryonic state, convert

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those cells to liver cells, mass produce
those liver cells.

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Use our 3D printer to organize those cells
in the way that our liver is structured

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— it has a beautiful, hexagonal pattern —
and then transplant

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that back into my body.

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I think it's a little bit science fiction.

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You can actually see different shows
using 3D printing, like Westworld

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is one of my favorite shows,
but I think that's feasible.

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I think that's possible.

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Ph.D.

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student Christopher Clark tells us
more about that cool 3D bioprinter.

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This is a Cell Ink Bio X bio printer
with three extrusion heads.

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If we want to mimic the architecture
of some parts of the human body,

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such as the alveoli of the lungs
or the shape of a liver cell environment,

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we can use a bioprinter to print cells
in confined

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geometries and in relation
to other cells that used to.

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Smith's team
is using it to make mini livers and a key

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part of the body scientists
have long struggled with — blood vessels.

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We consider that
to be the highway of life.

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Blood vessels are responsible
for delivering nutrients,

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oxygen and removing waste.

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Smith creates mini blood vessels on a chip
about the size of a quarter.

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These organs-on-a-chip
are a much better way to test drugs.

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Billions of dollars
are spent for drug development,

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and the traditional workhorse
has been animal models.

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But 90% of drugs
that worked in mice fail in human trials.

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I believe using these stem cells —
these human cells —

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we can reduce the cost of drug testing
and maybe come up with even

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more efficient drugs that actually have
profound effects on humans.

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We're not mice.

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So when can we 3D print a human liver?

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His best guess is...

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Let's say, 15 years, maybe 15 years.

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But Smith is doing it
on a small scale in his lab.

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We work with, let's say, a million cells.

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Our liver has 200 billion cells.

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So that's quite a scale up
process to achieve.

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But we have to start somewhere.

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And while we wait for that 3D printed
liver, scientists are now making insulin

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cells from stem cells to cure diabetes.

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The most exciting success
has been in the recent development of stem

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cell treatments for people with type one
diabetes, a horrible autoimmune disease

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that kills the insulin
producing beta cells in their body.

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Well, there have been techniques
using stem cell biology

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to create functional beta cells,

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and you can actually implant them back
into someone's body.

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And instead of taking insulin injections,
those implanted cells

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can respond to the diet that you have
and secrete the perfect amount of insulin.

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So there's been very promising
clinical trials that have actually proven

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that we could take stem cells
and cure diseases like type one diabetes.

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That's Quinton Smith turning science
fiction to reality at UC Irvine.

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I'm Natalie Tso for The Lab Beat,

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which is brought to you by the UC Irvine
Samueli School of Engineering.