BENGALURU: Bengaluru on Friday became the first city in the country to get a 3D bioprinting Centre of Excellence, housed at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The centre has been established following an agreement between IISc and CELLINK, a bioprinting company that is part of BICO, a bioconvergence startup. It is being housed at IISc’s Center for BioSystems Science and Engineering (BSSE).
“The centre will provide access to 3D bioprinting systems, enabling researchers to accelerate their work across critical applications with the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes. It will focus on providing researchers tools to advance discoveries in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and drug discovery,” the IISc said in a statement.
Inaugurating the centre, Science and Technology Minister C N Ashwath Narayan noted that it will play a major role in personalising medicine and healthcare services for individuals. “The 3D bioprinting technology, which enables printing of human tissues and organs, will facilitate faster and more accurate models for drug development. It will also serve as a hub for several research initiatives and training activities related to the emerging field of bio-printing technology,” he said.
He also pointed out that the centre will focus on working specifically on healthcare related to heart, bone, cartilage and cancer. “IISc and CELLINK will work together to conduct workshops aimed at providing the necessary skills to utilise 3D bioprinting and to enable reap the benefits of 3D cell culture. The two will undertake and advise on research projects related to tissue engineering, drug discovery, material science and regenerative/personalised medicine,” said IISc Director Prof Govindan Rangarajan.