Oxford researchers develop 3D printing method that shows promise for repairing brain injuries

This advance marks a significant step towards the fabrication of materials with the full structure and function of natural brain tissues. Up to now, however, there has been no method to ensure that implanted stem cells mimic the architecture of the brain. In this new study, the University of Oxford researchers fabricated a two-layered brain tissue by 3D printing human neural stem cells. The cortical structure was made from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), which have the potential to produce the cell types found in most human tissues. The implanted neural cells were labelled with fluorescent markers (blue and red in the image).