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Jelly Brain
18 December 2015

Jelly Brain

3D bioprinting has huge potential in medicine, but printing structures out of floppy biological materials requires some serious support. Here researchers have printed the surface of a human brain out of a jelly-like biocompatible material called alginate. First they converted data from an MRI scan into a 3D computer model (top left) showing intricate folds in the white matter (top right). The brain is printed by layering blobs of soft alginate one on top of another. A second jelly-like material floods around the brain holding it in place (a bit like a raspberry in a trifle), then melts away once the printing has finished. The resulting jelly brain (bottom) has intricate surface details like its real-life counterpart – yet it’s actually only 3cm long! The use of biodegradable 'scaffolding' paves the way for printing intricate biological structures for study outside of the body, or even transplantation back inside.

Written by John Ankers

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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