Organovo Holdings, a three-dimensional biology company focused on delivering breakthrough 3D bioprinting technology, and Yale School of Medicine, Department of Surgery have formed a collaboration to develop bioprinted tissues for surgical transplantation research, made possible by a generous gift from the Methuselah Foundation.
At any given time, the waiting lists for critical organ transplants are three to five times as long as the list of available organs. In addition, other transplantable tissues, such as blood vessels, lung, and bone, are also in high demand with few sources.
"Developing organs for surgical implantation will take meaningful efforts and focused partnerships. This collaboration with Yale, which combines their expertise and technology with our own, is one important step in progressing towards implantable, therapeutic tissues," said Keith Murphy, chairman and CEO of Organovo.
"We are grateful to the Methuselah Foundation for their generous gift that gives those working towards significant breakthroughs in organ bioprinting an opportunity to use the NovoGen bioprinter and enable greater access to Organovo’s powerful platform."
The fast-growing field of tissue engineering developed to address the shortage of tissues available for repair and transplantation. At Yale’s School of Engineering & Applied Science and Yale’s Department of Surgery clinicians and basic scientists are working to combine tissue engineering technologies with medical therapies.
Under Methuselah’s University 3D Bioprinter Program, Methuselah is donating at least $500,000 in direct funding to be divided among several institutions for Organovo bioprinter research projects. This funding will cover budgeted bioprinter costs, as well as other aspects of project execution.
"We at the Methuselah Foundation have been a long-time supporter of academic and industry research in 3D bioprinting, regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering," said David Gobel, CEO of the Methuselah Foundation.