3D Stem Cell Engineering

Quinton Smith's 3D approach to stem cell engineering could revolutionize how we test drugs and do organ transplants. Learn about his innovative approach and why Popular Science named him a top 10 scientist on the cusp of changing the world in 2023. Smith is an  assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and the director of The Smith Lab @ UCI.

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
This is The Lab Beat,
where we catch the pulse of cutting-edgelabs.
I'm Natalie Tso.
Imagine — if someone who needs a new livercould just print one
with this 3D bioprinterusing a sample of their own cells.
That's the vision behind stemcell engineering.
Popular Science named QuintonSmith “a scientist

(00:25):
on the cusp of changing the world” in 2023
because of his 3D approach to stemcell engineering.
What inspired Smithto get into this field?
Science fiction.
This idea that we can take any human cellin the body,
reprogramit all the way to an embryonic state

(00:46):
and create any cell type in the human bodyfor regenerative medicine.
I kind of envision like a worldwhere maybe we don't need to take drugs,
but maybe we can use the cellas the therapy.
This is how it would workwith a liver problem.
Let's say my liver is failing, right?
I take a biopsy of my skin, reprogramthose cells to an embryonic state, convert

(01:06):
those cells to liver cells, mass producethose liver cells.
Use our 3D printer to organize those cellsin the way that our liver is structured
— it has a beautiful, hexagonal pattern —and then transplant
that back into my body.
I think it's a little bit science fiction.
You can actually see different showsusing 3D printing, like Westworld

(01:27):
is one of my favorite shows,but I think that's feasible.
I think that's possible.
Ph.D.
student Christopher Clark tells usmore about that cool 3D bioprinter.
This is a Cell Ink Bio X bio printerwith three extrusion heads.
If we want to mimic the architectureof some parts of the human body,
such as the alveoli of the lungsor the shape of a liver cell environment,

(01:53):
we can use a bioprinter to print cellsin confined
geometries and in relationto other cells that used to.
Smith's teamis using it to make mini livers and a key
part of the body scientistshave long struggled with — blood vessels.
We consider thatto be the highway of life.
Blood vessels are responsiblefor delivering nutrients,

(02:14):
oxygen and removing waste.
Smith creates mini blood vessels on a chipabout the size of a quarter.
These organs-on-a-chipare a much better way to test drugs.
Billions of dollarsare spent for drug development,
and the traditional workhorsehas been animal models.
But 90% of drugsthat worked in mice fail in human trials.

(02:37):
I believe using these stem cells —these human cells —
we can reduce the cost of drug testingand maybe come up with even
more efficient drugs that actually haveprofound effects on humans.
We're not mice.
So when can we 3D print a human liver?
His best guess is...
Let's say, 15 years, maybe 15 years.

(02:58):
But Smith is doing iton a small scale in his lab.
We work with, let's say, a million cells.
Our liver has 200 billion cells.
So that's quite a scale upprocess to achieve.
But we have to start somewhere.
And while we wait for that 3D printedliver, scientists are now making insulin
cells from stem cells to cure diabetes.

(03:23):
The most exciting successhas been in the recent development of stem
cell treatments for people with type onediabetes, a horrible autoimmune disease
that kills the insulinproducing beta cells in their body.
Well, there have been techniquesusing stem cell biology
to create functional beta cells,

(03:43):
and you can actually implant them backinto someone's body.
And instead of taking insulin injections,those implanted cells
can respond to the diet that you haveand secrete the perfect amount of insulin.
So there's been very promisingclinical trials that have actually proven
that we could take stem cellsand cure diseases like type one diabetes.

(04:04):
That's Quinton Smith turning sciencefiction to reality at UC Irvine.
I'm Natalie Tso for The Lab Beat,
which is brought to you by the UC IrvineSamueli School of Engineering.