Airflow printing produces thymic organoids in large numbers

In a laboratory experiment, researchers used induced pluripotent stem cells—reprogrammed cells that can form many cell types—to make thymic organoids, lab-grown models of the thymus. The thymus supports the development of T cells, immune cells. The team used airflow to print droplets containing the stem cells into capsules.

Airflow controlled capsule size, while the chemicals linking the capsule material together affected its stability. The researchers identified settings that minimised printing variability and prevented cell clusters from escaping their capsules during development. They then removed the capsules and combined the organoids with a thymus scaffold stripped of its cells. These constructs generated functional mouse T cell populations in athymic nude mice, which lack a thymus.