The potential of 3D-printing human organs has raised a glimmer of hope that this technology may help overcome the shortage of organs for trans­plant. Challenges remain however, such as balancing speed of printing with precision. Inter­national Hospital speaks to Vidmantas Šakalys, CEO of Vital3D about the new technology.

International Hospital: Your start-up company, Vital3D is developing technology to 3D-print human organs. We’ll come back to this technology, but first let’s look briefly at the company. What was the seed idea that led to the establishment of Vital3D and when did this happen?

Vidmantas Šakalys: Having lost one of my mentors from urinal cancer, while working in a previous startup, I always wanted to create technology to help with this kind of terminal illness. Together with a laser scientist colleague we thought that light could be a perfect tool to use in life sciences. We asked the question, could we use it to print new human organs to help relieve situations such as my mentor had? At the end of 2021 the idea of bio-printer to print a kidney was born.

Vidmantas Šakalys, CEO of Vital3D

IH: Where is Vital3D headquartered and how is the company structured?

VS: Vital3D Technologies is a young startup – two years old. It is located in Vilnius, Lithuania. With a staff of eight people, we have experts in lasers, biotechnology, software programming and mechanical engineering. This covers the main aspects of the everyday work delivered at the laboratory. As we are startup, the CEO does a lot of the administrative work, combining it with business development. Sales and marketing are handled by internationally recognized experts.

IH: Can you outline some of the initial processes and/or research that led to the establishment of the company?

VS: Lithuania has long history in lasers science. The first laser was constructed six years after the laser was invented, in 1966. Deep scientific research led to the formation of a strong ecosystem around the production of ultra-short lasers. Naturally, ideas of applications for ultra-short lasers started to appear. Precise 3D printing is one of them. As the light at some wavelengths is friendly towards cells, we decided to use them for tissue and organ printing. Our CTO Dr Linas Jonusauskas has a PhD in the field of ultra-short laser micro-fabrication with photosensitive polymers. His extensive work in this field was the basis for the FemtoBrush technology.

IH: Funding is a key issue for start-up initiatives. Can you explain how you raised funding, how much was raised initially and what the funding is being used for? Will you be seeking more investment?

VS: We raised starting capital from private Lithuanian businesses that want to make a long-lasting impact on the worldwide arena, leveraging proprietary new technology to increase longevity, thereby creating a healthier and more active society. Initially we raised €2 million and are planning the next investment round for the second half of 2024.

IH: There is clearly a demand for organs for transplant. Do you have stats indicative of the demand?

H: Could you provide some insights into the current status of the 3D-printed organs industry, generally?

VS: 3D-bioprinting of organs is a rapidly advancing medical field, but it has not yet reached the point where fully functional and transplantable human organs can be printed. While there are reports of successful bio-printed tissues being transplanted in animals, the leap to human transplantation is still in the future.

IH: There must be many challenges in trying to 3D-print human organs. Can you elaborate on some of the key challenges associated with bioprinting technology?

VS: The complex biology of organ transplantation, the need for compatibility and long-term functionality are the challenges researchers are still working on. Vascularization (the creation of blood vessels) of the bio-printed tissues remains a major challenge. Without a functional vascular network, it is difficult to keep 3D-printed organs alive and functional.

What we can 3D-print already?

• Tissue and organ models. They help scientists to better understand organ function and disease mechanisms.
• Miniature organs, often referred to as organoids. These are used for drug testing, disease modelling, and personalized medicine.
• Surgical models, such as patient-specific replicas of organs or bones. Surgeons use them for surgical planning and practice.
• Dental implants. 3D-printing is widely used in the dental field for creating dental crowns, bridges, and even custom dental implants.
• Prosthetics. Customized prosthetic limbs, orthopaedic implants, and orthotic devices are 3D-printed to provide better comfort and functionality for patients.
• Hearing aids. Hearing aids are often custom-fitted using 3D-printing technology, making them more comfortable and effective.
• Custom implants. Some cranial and orthopaedic implants are 3D-printed to match a patient’s unique anatomy, improving the fit and reducing the risk of complications.
• Drug delivery devices. 3D-printing allows creation of personalized drug delivery devices, such as tablets with controlled-release profiles or complex geometries.
• Custom surgical tools. Surgeons get custom-made surgical tools and guides for specific procedures, enhancing precision in the operating room.
• Patient-specific guides. 3D-printed guides are used in orthopaedic surgeries to ensure accurate placement of implants.

It is clear from the list above – we are able to print parts of the body that do not have thick tissues with a vascular system. So, for example, a 3D-printed ear prosthesis is not a replacement for a fully functional, biologically grown ear, but they can significantly improve aesthetics and hearing functionality.

IH: You mentioned earlier Vital3D’s Femtobrush technology which appears to overcome some of the key technical obstacles in achieving a balance between speed and precision in bioprinting. Can you explain how the FemtoBrush technology works?

VS: Vital3D’s bio-printing process is based on using laser light as a printing tool. This is opposite to a jet spraying molecules. Vital3D’s process uses a light source directed at photosensitive bio-ink to harden material under the light’s “pressure”. The printed structure is raised from the pond of bio-ink. Imagine drawing a picture with the pen, piece-by-piece colouring the whole picture. Now imagine you need to paint the wide wall – with pencil it will take forever. To make the painting faster we can employ a wider brush for co-
louring larger areas. This is the essence of Vital3D’s dynamic light manipulation technology called FemtoBrush. The laser beam form is changed on-the-fly to represent pencil, brush, or even more sophisticated forms like ellipse. By introducing this innovation in light-based bio-printing we expect to be able to address the vascularization challenge in organ printing. The pencil can be as small as 1 micron, to print the smallest vasculature and switching to the brush mode will help speed-up the printing process hundreds of times, to enable printing a whole kidney in just 24 hours.

IH: Could you outline your estimated timeline until this technology becomes an accessible solution for organ transplants?

VS: While the long-term vision of printing any part of a human being is a compelling one, it is likely to be a gradual process that evolves over many years. Most of the researchers working in this field agree that 15-20 years is reasonable timing for the first bioprinted full scale human organ to appear. As technology progresses and our understanding of biology deepens, it is possible that a broader range of human body parts, from complex organs to intricate tissues, could become accessible for 3D-printing and transplantation in the future.

IH: Do you plan to offer the ‘printing technology/device’ for sale or offer it as ‘printing as a service’?

VS: We are offering the Vital Light 3D printer as a device for research institutions working in the life science field. At the same time we are offering “printing as a service” for medical devices, tissues, organ printing. Our vision is to become a tissue and organ printing service provider.