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	Podcast:		UC Science Today
	Episode:		Getting things just right with 3D bioprinters
	Category:		Science & Medicine
	Duration:		00:01:03
	Publish Date:		2017-02-14 18:00:00
	Description:		3D bioprinting is an emerging technology in which 3D printers are used with bio-inks to artificially construct living tissue by outputting layers of living cells. To do this, research engineer Monica Moya of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory says bioprinters need to output a dissolvable gel to support and protect cells during printing. "So we have to keep them happy before they’re going to be printed, during the print process and then afterwards. And so during the print process, the biggest challenge that we have is when they’re going through those nozzles. We have to make sure that the gel is the right kind of consistency. So, it’s sort of a Goldilocks conundrum, where it has to be just right." Too liquid and researchers have a puddle instead of a structure; too stiff and they can shear cells, causing them to burst and die. So, what is the right consistency? "Well, it’s kind of like snot, where it’s a little bit formed but it’s still kind of liquid, enough so that the cells can come out in a liquid form." Moya’s team has bioprinted an unorganized network of blood vessels – a feat that could someday revolutionize medical practice.
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