In a major breakthrough, an inkjet printer in Britain can print eye cells which can be used to cure human blindness. For the first time ever, researchers from UK have used inkjet printing technology to successfully print two types of cells from the retina of adult rats- ganglion cells and glial cells. The breakthrough could lead to the production of artificial tissue grafts made from the variety of cells found in the human retina and may aid in the search to cure blindness.\nIn their study, the researchers used a piezoelectric inkjet printer device that ejected the cells through a sub-millimetre diameter nozzle when a specific electrical pulse was applied. They also used high speed video technology to record the printing process with high resolution and optimised their procedures accordingly.
\n\u201cIn order for a fluid to print well from an inkjet print head, its properties, such as viscosity and surface tension, need to conform to a fairly narrow range of values. Adding cells to the fluid complicates its properties significantly,\u201d Dr Wen-Kai Hsiao from the Inkjet Research Centre in Cambridge University said.
\nProfessor Keith Martin and Dr Barbara Lorber from the John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge, said \u201cOur study has shown, for the first time, that cells derived from the mature central nervous system, the eye, can be printed using a piezoelectric inkjet printer. Although our results are preliminary and much more work is still required, the aim is to develop this technology for use in retinal repair in the future\u201d.
\nThe finding could be a big boon for blind people across the world. India is home to the world\u2019s largest number of blind people. Of the 37 million people across the globe who are blind, over 15 million are from India. Once printed, a number of tests were performed on each type of cell to see how many of the cells survived the process and how it affected their ability to survive and grow.
\nThe cells derived from the retina of the rats were retinal ganglion cells, which transmit information from the eye to certain parts of the brain, and glial cells, which provide support and protection for neurons.
\n\u201cWe plan to extend this study to print other cells of the retina and to investigate if light-sensitive photoreceptors can be successfully printed using inkjet technology. In addition, we would like to further develop our printing process to be suitable for commercial, multi-nozzle print heads,\u201d Professor Martin concluded. At the moment the results are preliminary and provide proof-of-principle that an inkjet printer can be used to print two types of cells from the retina of adult rats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"