{"id":347,"date":"2018-07-02T08:17:05","date_gmt":"2018-07-02T08:17:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=347"},"modified":"2018-07-02T08:17:05","modified_gmt":"2018-07-02T08:17:05","slug":"3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/","title":{"rendered":"3D-printed living tissues could spell the end of arthritis"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

by Ethan Bilby<\/p>\n

Bioinks containing stem cells are being used to 3D print living tissues that can be inserted into the body and provoke a damaged joint to heal itself.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

It\u2019s a development that could reduce the discomfort and pain of the one in 10 people who will suffer from arthritis over their lifetime. Arthritis acts by breaking down the rubbery cartilage tissue found in joints, leading to pain, stiffness and swelling.<\/p>\n

But 3D printing technology could enable new cartilage to be printed on demand using patients\u2019 own cells as the building blocks \u2013 a technique known as bioprinting.<\/p>\n

Professor Jos Malda is working with such 3D bioprinting in his lab at the University Medical Centre Utrecht in the Netherlands. As part of a project called 3D-JOINT, his team is working to make bioprinted tissues that can be implanted into a living joint to replace the damaged part. These would eventually mature into a tissue that is the same as the original healthy cartilage.<\/p>\n

Already, stem cells can be deposited by 3D printers according to a precise blueprint, creating complex tissues layer by layer. Yet that doesn\u2019t mean they can instantly transform into new organs or body parts.<\/p>\n

\u2018Printing is not the last step in biofabrication, since\u00a0printing something in the shape of a heart does not make it a heart,\u2019 said Prof. Malda. \u2018The printed construct needs time and the correct chemical and biophysical cues to mature into a functional tissue.\u2019<\/p>\n

One challenge is maintaining the right conditions for the cellular building material.<\/p>\n

Traditional 3D printing uses plastics, which are flexible enough to be pushed through a printer nozzle, but are also solid enough to keep their shape afterwards.<\/p>\n

But because bioinks contain living cells, scientists are having to develop new solutions. One option is to use a hydrogel – a type of material that consists of networks of large molecules known as polymers, swollen with water.<\/p>\n

\u2018For bioprinting, the material has to be able to keep cells alive. This demands aqueous conditions and processing under a\u00a0relatively low temperature, which makes hydrogel-based materials ideal candidates,\u2019 Prof. Malda said.<\/p>\n

But while the squishy nature of such hydrogels makes them very good at delivering cells, it is also their weakness. They are unable to withstand the mechanical\u00a0load certain tissues undergo in the body.<\/p>\n

Strong<\/strong><\/p>\n

To solve that, Prof. Malda and his team are experimenting with additive materials, which can make the hydrogels strong enough to act as replacement cartilage.<\/p>\n

\u2018Reinforcing the hydrogel makes it stronger \u2013 just like steel rods are combined with soft cement to create the reinforced concrete that makes the foundations of our\u00a0homes,\u2019 Prof. Malda explained.<\/p>\n

His team is using melt electrowriting, a 3D-printing technique that combines melted polycaprolactone, a type of polyester, with an electrical field that creates fibres as thin as a hair.<\/p>\n

Using these microfibres, the team creates scaffolding to be combined with the cell-containing hydrogel \u2013 already with good results.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

‘Printing something in the shape of a heart does not make it a heart.’<\/p>\n

Professor Jos Malda, University Medical Centre Utrecht, the Netherlands<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018The combination of the hydrogel with\u00a0the fibres acts in synergy, increasing the strength of the composite over 50 times while still allowing the cells to generate extracellular matrix and mature into a cartilage-like tissue,\u2019 Prof. Malda said.<\/p>\n

His team is working on upscaling that process to create larger constructs, while bringing together different materials for combined bone and cartilage tissue replacements. The ultimate goal is to eventually 3D print a complete joint.<\/p>\n

In addition to acting as a replacement for lost cartilage and bone, printing cells in this way can also help the body to repair damaged tissues.<\/p>\n

Professor Daniel Kelly at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, is working as part of a project called JointPrinting\u00a0to develop such a system \u2013 quite a challenge given that the field is still emerging.<\/p>\n

\u2018There are relatively few examples in the literature demonstrating the capacity of bioprinted tissues to actually regenerate damaged tissues in appropriate pre-clinical (animal) models,\u2019 Prof. Kelly said.<\/p>\n

He is working to develop bioinks that are not only printable but which also spur stem cells to make new cartilage by altering the molecules that support and surround the printed cells, instructing them to generate the correct type of tissue.<\/p>\n

The idea is that these newly printed stem cells can help repair damaged tissue after they are implanted in the body.<\/p>\n

Prof. Kelly\u2019s team is also working with using substances known as growth factors to stimulate the formation of new blood vessels in injured tissues.<\/p>\n

\u2018We sometimes incorporate VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) into our bioprinted tissues \u2026 to encourage new blood vessels to form in regions of a damaged bone or joint where we want bone to grow,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

\u2018We introduce gradiants of VEGF into the bioprinted tissues that directs host blood vessels (to form) into the appropriate regions of our implants.\u2019<\/p>\n

Though scientists are focusing on cartilage and bone, demands on joints can differ dramatically depending on where they are located in the body.<\/p>\n

To test the printed tissues, Prof. Kelly uses specialised mechanical testing machines to determine their stiffness and elasticity, as well as computational modelling to better understand how the structure and composition of the implants can be tuned to function within specific environments.<\/p>\n

All in all, Prof. Kelly is optimistic about the future applications of bioprinting.<\/p>\n

\u2018I think bioprinting will have two main applications. Firstly, as a source of new tissues and organs in regenerative medicine. Secondly, as a tool to better understand human disease and to test the safety and efficacy of new drugs targeting such diseases.\u2019<\/p>\n

Originally published on Horizon<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Ethan Bilby Bioinks containing stem cells are being used to 3D print living tissues that can be inserted into the body and provoke a damaged joint to heal itself. It\u2019s a development that could reduce the discomfort and pain of the one in 10 people who will suffer from arthritis over their lifetime. Arthritis … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":348,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[116,37,95,79,24,162],"class_list":["post-347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-biotechnology","tag-health","tag-medicine","tag-research","tag-science","tag-stem-cells"],"yoast_head":"\n3D-printed living tissues could spell the end of arthritis - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3D-printed living tissues could spell the end of arthritis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"by Ethan Bilby Bioinks containing stem cells are being used to 3D print living tissues that can be inserted into the body and provoke a damaged joint to heal itself. It\u2019s a development that could reduce the discomfort and pain of the one in 10 people who will suffer from arthritis over their lifetime. Arthritis ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Horizon Magazine Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-07-02T08:17:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Arthritis_hands.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1889\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1475\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Horizon Magazine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Horizon Magazine\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/347\\\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/347\\\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679\"},\"headline\":\"3D-printed living tissues could spell the end of arthritis\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-07-02T08:17:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/347\\\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":946,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/347\\\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/Arthritis_hands.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Biotechnology\",\"health\",\"medicine\",\"research\",\"science\",\"stem cells\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2018\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/347\\\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/347\\\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\\\/\",\"name\":\"3D-printed living tissues could spell the end of arthritis - Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/347\\\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/347\\\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/Arthritis_hands.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-07-02T08:17:05+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/347\\\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/347\\\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/347\\\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/Arthritis_hands.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/Arthritis_hands.jpg\",\"width\":1889,\"height\":1475,\"caption\":\"Arthritis breaks down the cartilage between joints, leading to pain, stiffness and swelling. Image credit - Jojo, picture is in the public domain\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/347\\\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"3D-printed living tissues could spell the end of arthritis\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"description\":\"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"width\":601,\"height\":283,\"caption\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Horizon Magazine\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/horizon.magazine.eu\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/HorizonMagEU\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/author\\\/horizonmagazine\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"3D-printed living tissues could spell the end of arthritis - Horizon Magazine Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"3D-printed living tissues could spell the end of arthritis","og_description":"by Ethan Bilby Bioinks containing stem cells are being used to 3D print living tissues that can be inserted into the body and provoke a damaged joint to heal itself. It\u2019s a development that could reduce the discomfort and pain of the one in 10 people who will suffer from arthritis over their lifetime. Arthritis ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/","og_site_name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu","article_published_time":"2018-07-02T08:17:05+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1889,"height":1475,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Arthritis_hands.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Horizon Magazine","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Horizon Magazine","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/"},"author":{"name":"Horizon Magazine","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679"},"headline":"3D-printed living tissues could spell the end of arthritis","datePublished":"2018-07-02T08:17:05+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/"},"wordCount":946,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Arthritis_hands.jpg","keywords":["Biotechnology","health","medicine","research","science","stem cells"],"articleSection":["Health"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2018","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/","name":"3D-printed living tissues could spell the end of arthritis - Horizon Magazine Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Arthritis_hands.jpg","datePublished":"2018-07-02T08:17:05+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Arthritis_hands.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Arthritis_hands.jpg","width":1889,"height":1475,"caption":"Arthritis breaks down the cartilage between joints, leading to pain, stiffness and swelling. Image credit - Jojo, picture is in the public domain"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/347\/3d-printed-living-tissues-could-spell-the-end-of-arthritis\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"3D-printed living tissues could spell the end of arthritis"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","description":"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","width":601,"height":283,"caption":"Horizon Magazine Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679","name":"Horizon Magazine","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Horizon Magazine"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU"],"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/author\/horizonmagazine\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/Arthritis_hands.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgtNKV-5B","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2834,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2834\/3d-printed-living-cells-pave-way-for-tomorrows-medicine-and-cruelty-free-animal-products\/","url_meta":{"origin":347,"position":0},"title":"3D-printed living cells pave way for tomorrow’s medicine and cruelty-free animal products","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"August 23, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"EU-funded researchers are expanding the possibilities of 3D printing to create miniature human organs and a variety of products made from living tissue, including food. By Tereza Pultarova 3D printing has come a long way since its early days in the 1980s and is considered an essential tool in many\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/08\/23.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/08\/23.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/08\/23.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/08\/23.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/08\/23.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/08\/23.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":227,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/227\/lab-grown-tissues-to-improve-reliability-of-safety-tests-for-drugs-chemicals\/","url_meta":{"origin":347,"position":1},"title":"Lab-grown tissues to improve reliability of safety tests for drugs, chemicals","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"April 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Natalie Grover Testing the safety of medicines and chemicals on organ-like structures developed from various types of stem cells could reduce the reliance on animal testing and streamline chemical and drug development, according to scientists in the Netherlands who are in the early stages of developing such technology.\u00a0 Tissues\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"This human liver organoid gives researchers hope that animal-based studies about drug safety will be a method of the past one day.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/Organoid.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/Organoid.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/Organoid.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/Organoid.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/Organoid.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/Organoid.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1940,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1940\/antifreeze-fish-inspire-new-cryoprotectants-for-human-cells-and-tissues-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":347,"position":2},"title":"Antifreeze fish inspire new cryoprotectants for human cells and tissues","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"January 18, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The idea of cryogenically freezing a person to preserve their body until many years into the future has long been a staple of science fiction stories. However, the need to reliably store biological materials such as cells or tissue is a common concern for scientific research and, increasingly, for society\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/aa09260a.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/aa09260a.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/aa09260a.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/aa09260a.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/01\/aa09260a.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1780,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1780\/antifreeze-fish-inspire-new-cryoprotectants-for-human-cells-and-tissues\/","url_meta":{"origin":347,"position":3},"title":"Antifreeze fish inspire new cryoprotectants for human cells and tissues","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"August 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The idea of cryogenically freezing a person to preserve their body until many years into the future has long been a staple of science fiction stories. However, the need to reliably store biological materials such as cells or tissue is a common concern for scientific research and, increasingly, for society\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/08\/ANTIFREEZE-image1-CMS-aa09260a-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/08\/ANTIFREEZE-image1-CMS-aa09260a-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/08\/ANTIFREEZE-image1-CMS-aa09260a-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/08\/ANTIFREEZE-image1-CMS-aa09260a-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/08\/ANTIFREEZE-image1-CMS-aa09260a-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/08\/ANTIFREEZE-image1-CMS-aa09260a-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2135,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2135\/limb-regenerating-fire-god-salamander-central-to-wound-repair-quest\/","url_meta":{"origin":347,"position":4},"title":"Limb-regenerating fire-god salamander central to wound repair quest","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"August 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Regenerating lost body parts is impossible for humans, but cracking the cellular code of salamanders could help to treat serious wounds. Salamanders are remarkable creatures. If one of these amphibians loses a finger, it grows back. Furthermore, if you chop away a piece of heart or spinal cord, it will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/24-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":307,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/307\/want-to-cure-disease-repurpose-the-bodys-cells\/","url_meta":{"origin":347,"position":5},"title":"Want to cure disease? Repurpose the body\u2019s cells","author":"Gary Finnegan","date":"June 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"If one part of the body breaks, can you just replace it with cells from another organ? That\u2019s the hope of stem cell scientists who are reprogramming cells to treat major conditions such as incontinence and heart failure. Millions of Europeans are affected by stress urinary incontinence (SUI) which can\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Implanting stem cells from elsewhere in the body can help reverse organ damage.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/cell.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/cell.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/cell.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/cell.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/cell.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/cell.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/298"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}