To validate HITS-Bio, the team fabricated cartilage tissue - a structure containing 600 spheroids - in under 40 minutes. This surpasses existing bioprinting technologies.
Additionally, researchers demonstrated the method’s potential for surgical applications. Using a rat model, spheroids were printed directly into a skull wound site. The cells, programmed with microRNA technology, transformed into bone tissue, accelerating healing. After six weeks, the wound was 96% healed, a significant improvement over traditional methods.
“Since we delivered the cells in high dosages with this technique, it actually sped up the bone repair,” said Ozbolat.