Sanofi Pasteur Subsidiary VaxDesign Campus Files IPO for In Vivo Bioprinting Technology

To date, numerous studies on 3D bioprinting of tissues and organs have emerged, primarily focusing on how to place a sufficient number of cells into a non-biological scaffold in vitro, so that after being cultured to a certain stage, they can be implanted wherever needed. However, one company stands out with a different approach: it believes that printing cells directly inside the human body—thereby leveraging the body’s innate ability to nurture and promote cell proliferation—is a superior option. This method is referred to by the company as “in vivo bioprinting.” Lucas Mearian of Computerworld reported on this development, and VCBeat has compiled the following translation.

William Warren, Vice President of VaxDesign Campus, a subsidiary of Sanofi Pasteur, explained to attendees of last week’s Rapid 3D Printing Technology Conference that in vivo bioprinting is also the least invasive technique for the human body.

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine division of the pharmaceutical company “Sanofi,” is also the world’s largest enterprise dedicated exclusively to the research and development of human vaccines. Recently, it has developed a bioprinting method capable of extruding tissues of varying thicknesses, thereby enabling the cultivation of living cells into tissue structures.

With this technology, Sanofi Pasteur can print any required material using collagen, a protein that links tissues to fibrinogen, the body’s natural hemostatic agent.

Warren believes that before the so-called in vivo printing can be realized, 3D bioprinting will inevitably achieve a series of simpler milestones first. For instance, auditory tissues could be replicated to restore hearing; corneal or retinal tissues could be replicated to improve vision; and spinal structures could be replicated for the axial skeleton. Meanwhile,Warren also believes that the technology for 3D bioprinting organs in vitro will definitely be realized within five to seven years.

Warren said, “I believe we are certainly starting with in vitro, test-tube-based approaches, which have already proven highly successful. However, in the long run, these procedures will inevitably be performed in vivo.”

Currently, bioprinting technology is primarily used for drug testing by cultivating patient-specific tissues to evaluate the efficacy or toxicity of drugs through personalized medication approaches.

Other institutions are also conducting research in this area; for instance, the University of Toronto has successfully bioprinted skin, and Organovo, a company based in California, has successfully bioprinted liver tissue for use in drug testing.

Sanofi Pasteur’s bioprinting technology resembles an automated pen equipped with “ink,” gently “writing” various types of tissue onto organs without damaging existing structures. The company’s researchers can even print on water without disturbing the surface!

“Although we haven’t yet figured out how to walk on water, we do know how to print on it!” Warren joked.

To date, Sanofi Pasteur has been able to print various tissues on the organs of deceased animals, with a thickness of up to approximately one millimeter.

However, creating functional organ tissues still requires overcoming numerous significant obstacles. The most challenging aspect lies in fabricating vascular structures capable of delivering sufficient oxygen and nutrients to the tissues. Warren pointed out that the vascular system is indeed extremely complex.

Warren stated that, with the support of sufficient vascular and cellular scaffolds, it would take at least another 15 years to successfully replace organs through in vivo bioprinting of tissues.He also stated that Sanofi Pasteur has successfully developed a vascular system model.

The company also used artificial culture media to propagate a lymph node. In fact, within the human immune system, lymph nodes are a critical component, as they filter out numerous impurities and even cancer cells.

The ability to artificially reproduce lymph nodes means that Sanofi Pasteur has mastered the intricacies of the lymphatic system. “Now, all that remains is to apply it to living cells,” said Warren.

As for the future of bioprinting systems, the focus should be on how to integrate these numerous steps into a unified process, much like how a computer system encompasses a multitude of technologies.

“I believe that in more than 20 years, we will see all these current tools, instruments, and minimally invasive surgical techniques evolve into a simple bioprinting device,” said Warren. “This truly represents the convergence of many disparate elements into one.”

Compiled by: Tang Chaoyan Edited by: Luo Xiaosou