"Medical Delta brings people from different disciplines together. That is the big advantage."

Imagine your knees' cartilage is deteriorating. What a convenience it would be to be able to visit the hospital and have a new piece of cartilage printed using your own cells. Although cartilage from 3D printers is still in the future, Mike Broeders (Erasmus MC), postdoc at the Medical Delta Regenerative Medicine 4D: Generating complex tissues with stem cells and printing technology programme, is already taking the next step towards that direction with his research.

This interview is the sixth  in a series of interviews with PhD students and postdoc researchers funded by Medical Delta. Mike's research is funded by the Medical Delta scientific programme Regenerative Medicine 4D: Generating complex tissues with stem cells and printing technology.

What is the aim of your research?

"I aspire to make cartilage in a laboratory. For this, I utilize two key components: stem cells and bio-ink. Stem cells are human cells that can be manipulated to develop into into any cell found in the human body, in my case cartilage cells. These cells will then be combined with bio-ink, a material utilized in 3D printing, to create a mixture that must exhibit both strength and flexibility, similar to natural cartilage.

The challenge is that you have many different types of stem cells and bio-inks. In the laboratory, I am determining the optimal combination. My current findings indicate that that bio-ink with differentiated stem cells, which have already transformed into cartilage cells and cannot change into another type, gives the best results. My next step involves experimenting with different types of bio-ink to further improve the results."

What will a patient notice of your research?

"Once we have succeeded in making cartilage in the laboratory, we can apply it in various ways. The most obvious application is to administer medications to the cultured cartilage, which eliminates the need for cartilage sourced from lab animals and makes the process more humane. As these tests are performed on human material, this will result in data that is more relevant for medical applications.

In the future, I envision the possibility of 3D printing cartilage for therapeutic purposes. A patient whose cartilage is worn out will can receive a new piece of cartilage created in the lab, using their own cells, reducing the chances of rejection.  While this is still some way off,  but my research is a necessary step to make it possible."

What would you advise a future Medical Delta PhD student?

"Maintaining close communication with other specialists is crucial, as collaboration can be challenging. For my project, for example, it was difficult to get cells in Delft because they are unfamiliar with working with this type of organic material. On the other hand, there is no 3D printer in Rotterdam that is suitable for my research, while these facilities are present in Delft.

Experts from different fields work with totally different things, so you don't understand each other automatically. It is very important to keep explaining what you are doing and to listen to each other, only then you can come to valuable insights and innovations. Medical Delta brings people from different disciplines together, which is its greatest advantage."

The previous interviewee, Mariska Wesseling, is curious: what is the importance of interdisciplinary research for your project?

"From the beginning, people from different disciplines have been involved in my project. My specialisation is in stem cells and their differentiation and I am not an expert in bio-ink, so when I started this project I did not know much about it. Therefore, I work closely with researchers at TU Delft who possess in-depth knowledge of bio-ink. I really like that: I've recently learned a lot of new things about bio-ink and 3D printing.

Meanwhile, I also have regular meetings with doctors to discuss the progress of the project. Currently, it is too early to involve patients in my research, but others in my research group are in contact with patients. In this way, we ensure that the medical aspect is not overlooked."