Jelly Brain

3D bioprinting has huge potential in medicine, but printing structures out of floppy biological materials requires some serious support. Here researchers have printed the surface of a human brain out of a jelly-like biocompatible material called alginate. First they converted data from an MRI scan into a 3D computer model (top left) showing intricate folds in the white matter (top right). The brain is printed by layering blobs of soft alginate one on top of another. A second jelly-like material floods around the brain holding it in place (a bit like a raspberry in a trifle), then melts away once the printing has finished. The resulting jelly brain (bottom) has intricate surface details like its real-life counterpart – yet it’s actually only 3cm long! The use of biodegradable 'scaffolding' paves the way for printing intricate biological structures for study outside of the body, or even transplantation back inside.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

Website

• Image by Thomas J. Hinton
• Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
• Image originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)
• Published in Science Advances, October 2015