Ink Innovation: 3D-Printed Heart Muscle Beats with Fiber-Infused Ink

Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed a new hydrogel ink infused with gelatin fibers that enables 3D printing of a functional heart ventricle that mimics beating like a human heart. The fiber-infused gel ink allows heart muscle cells to align and beat in coordination, opening up possibilities for creating better in vitro platforms for drug testing and evaluating treatments for heart disease. The technique could also be used to build heart valves and other complex heart structures.