3D-printed lungs made with living cells could help to improve lung disease prevention and treatment—and potentially one day offer a lab-grown option for use in organ transplants.
University of Saskatchewan scientists developed a 3D lung tissue model to provide a better environment for studying medicines and diseases like tuberculosis, COVID-19, asthma, COPD and pulmonary fibrosis.
Currently, researchers typically use 2D and animal models to study lung diseases like tuberculosis, but these are limited bynot accurately reflecting the shape and behavior of human lungs.
“We’ve realized that we’re lacking a realistic model for lung diseases…and that means that we can’t really plan a better strategy for lung therapies,” said biomaterial scientist Nuraina Dahlan in a statement.
Having a model that perfectly mimics actual human lungs would be a game-changer for lung treatment, she added.
“During the course of development of novel therapies (drugs, vaccines) several candidates are tested in various models—from in vitro to animal models. Some of these candidates fail in the clinic because of a disconnect between human and animal tissue or responses,” Dahlan explained to Newsweek.
“Having a 3D lung model allows us to test these therapies directly on a more human-relevant model and in an ethical manner. Hopefully this should increase the success rate of bringing therapies into the market.
"There is indeed a great potential for personalized therapy development also using these models and this is an active area of research in the field of cancer, for example.”
Paper co-author Neeraj Dhar added: "3D-printed lungs have the potential to help us better understand diseases like Tuberculosis, COVID-19, asthma, COPD or pulmonary fibrosis.”
The developed model is currently being used to study various respiratory infections, according to the team.
Lungs contain a structural framework called the extracellular matrix, which is where lung cells live, the researchers explained.
The lung models were printed using ‘bioinks’ that contain real living cells. The team examined their 3D-printed models using electromagnetic radiation from the Canadian Light Source—a synchrotron based on the Saskatchewan campus—to understand the tissue’s shape and function without damaging the samples.
“There have been several studies that have engineered lung tissue using various materials and bioinks. This study optimized and developed a novel bioink using porcine lung extracellular matrix as the base towards having the optimal mechanical properties and viability of cells,” said Dahlan.
They found their model provides an environment in which human lung cells can survive, suggesting it could be suitable for growing new cells.
The researchers are now planning to 3D-print another lung, then determine how it responds to infectious diseases.
As well as helping scientists to better understand lung diseases and develop patient-specific treatments, the end goal of lung tissue engineering would be to grow whole lungs in the lab.
“That will allow us to not only study diseases, but also to use lab-grown lungs as a replacement for transplantation [pending future studies],” said Dahlan.
“This is still early days for this technology [currently being tested in this study]. We are currently focused on fine-tuning this 3D model so that it fully recapitulates the complex structure and function of the lung,” added Dhar.
“Over the next 5–10 years we anticipate major use of these models to understand lung diseases and in discovery and testing of novel therapeutics. It is a step wise process but we hope over the long term this will lead to transformational benefits for researchers and patients.”
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Reference
Dahlan, N. A., Chiok, K. L. R., Tabil, X. L., Duan, X., Banerjee, A., Dhar, N., & Chen, X. (2025). Development and characterization of a decellularized lung ECM-based bioink for bioprinting and fabricating a lung model. Biomaterials Advances, 177, 214428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioadv.2025.214428
