A study led by researchers from the University of Strathclyde is harnessing a new 3D printing technique to create tiny human blood vessel structures that could eventually help end the use of animals to test new drugs.

The research, published in the journal Angewandte Chemie, focuses on crafting microvasculature,  small vessels critical for tissue health, that measure just 70 micrometres, smaller than a human hair.

The new method – called PRINCESS (PRINting Cell Embedded Sacrificial Strategy) – uses a special type of DNA hydrogel as a biolubricant to print the smallest ever microvasculature to date.

According to the team behind the new technology, the ability to print human tissues at scale to create a more sophisticated drug screening platform could eventually end the use of animals in drug testing, which isn’t always accurate to show what’s happening in the human body.

With more funded research, they also say that their model could reduce cost and be more effective, saving the global pharmaceutical industry billions of dollars.

“Animal testing is not always a good predictor of human response to a drug, so there is a need to develop a more realistic human testing mechanism, and microvasculature is a key facet of that,” said Professor Will Shu, Hay Chair and head of a research group at the University of Strathclyde.

“The ability to build intricate vascular networks is crucial for the creation of thick tissues, one of the grand challenges, or ‘Holy Grails’, of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Our new strategy offers an exciting new way for producing engineered human tissues or mini organs in the lab, that could eventually replace the use of animals.”

Professor Shu also said that the technology offers the potential to create new human disease models, with promising progress already seen in applications for heart diseases, cancer and neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s.

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Earlier this year, the University of Edinburgh also developed 3D printed blood vessels for use by heart bypass patients, replacing the synthetic veins currently used in surgery and potentially limiting scarring, pain, and infection risks.

The use of 3D printing in medicine is also pushing Scottish companies to expand. In the health sector in particular, Edinburgh-based firm Carcinotech’s 3D printed micro-tumours allow for more effective cancer treatments by simulating a patient’s tumour microenvironment, with the firm announcing in January it had raised £4.2 million of funding to build on its traction in the UK and Europe with future US expansion plans.