Miniature modeling while aiming for transplantation: Current challenges and future perspectives of lung bioprinting

Abstract

The development of three-dimensional (3D) lung organs or tissues using gravitational methods and bioprinting technologies displays significant promise for producing lung tissue for research, pharmaceutical, and clinical applications. The advancement of innovative technologies can improve our understanding of lung diseases and, if necessary, enable the production of replacement lungs for transplantation. The development of functional organs-on-a-chip and disease-specific lung tissues could provide a deep understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying lung diseases and aid the identification of drug targets. This knowledge has the potential to enhance our understanding of lung tissue regeneration processes, potentially leading to the development of more effective treatments for human lung diseases. This could eliminate the need for lung transplants in most disease-induced cases, as appropriate medications could induce regeneration of the damaged organ. This review highlights the importance of using a variety of materials, preparation methods, and sizes of lung tissues in 3D bioprinting technologies to better understand lung function, facilitate drug selection during therapy, and ultimately produce transplantable organs if needed. The review also emphasizes the need for improvements in legislation and guidelines for researchers aiming to achieve quality-assured biomanufacturing.

Keywords

Lung diseases / Lung bioprinting / Lung tissue aggregates / Personalized medicine / Drug testing / Organ-on-a-chip

Funding

This work was funded by a grant from the University of Pécs (grant number POC/2024).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare they have no competing interests.