PrintBio, a regenerative medicine and bioprinting company, today announced its participation in a major ARPA-H PRINT Program initiative aimed at addressing the nation’s growing organ shortage through the development of on-demand bioprinted kidney tissue for transplantation.
The effort is supported by up to $24.8 million in funding over 5-years, awarded to a multidisciplinary group led by Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM). PrintBio has been selected to contribute its 3D bioprinting and translational manufacturing expertise.
The funding comes from the Personalized Regenerative Immunocompetent Nanotechnology Tissue (PRINT) program at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The PRINT program aims to accelerate the creation of personalized, on demand bioprinted organs using advances in the latest technologies in bioprinting, cell manufacturing, and regenerative medicine.
The WFIRM-led team includes Dr. John Fisher (University of Maryland), Dr. Kevin Slawin (PrintBio, Inc.), Dr. Thomas Boland (University of Texas – El Paso), and Dr. Antonios Mikos (Rice University). The groups will work together to produce bioprinted, vascularized kidney tissue intended to augment renal function in patients suffering from end stage renal disease (ESRD). The implantable kidney tissue will be made from a patient’s own renal cells combined with bioinks designed to support the long-term viability and function of the implanted cells.
PrintBio brings to the program its record of accomplishment as the first organization to successfully translate bioprinting to the clinic in foundational work originating from 3DBio Therapeutics, which achieved the first FDA authorized clinical implantation of a 3D-bioprinted living implant.
In addition to the company’s work with tissues, PrintBio has developed programmable surgical materials including its DynaFlexTM and DynaForm TM platforms, reflecting the company’s broader expertise in biomaterials engineering, medical grade 3D printing technologies, and regulatory-ready development.
“As a former Urologic Surgeon, I am excited to collaborate with WFIRM and the rest of the exceptional academic groups to combine our talents towards this important goal of creating personalized, on-demand kidneys that has the potential to transform treatment of ESRD and save lives.” said Dr. Kevin Slawin, Founder and CEO of PrintBio, and a former oncologic surgeon.
For additional information please visit the PrintBio website at www.printbio.com.
https://printbio.com/corporate-contact/
PrintBio Contributes 3D Bioprinting Expertise to ARPA-H PRINT Program for Kidney Bioprinting
