The research groups, led by Professor Yongnian Yan from Organism Manufacturing Center , the Department of Mechanical Engineering, put forward a cell controlled assembly technology which directly forms the organ precursor analogy through exactly transporting and orientating the compound unit of cell/matrix under the computer control. The prototype machine used for experiment was developed based on this technology which is the first domestic 3D cell assembly machine.

With this machine, based on the anatomy data, the different high density cells/matrix can be distributed in ordered space instantly, consequently form a complex 3D construct with living cells. After cultivation in vitro for 6 weeks, the cell morphology was kept well, and the cell viability rate was higher than 90% and the proliferation and division were normal.

This research indicates that the mixture of mammalian cells and hydrogel can be directly formed into pre-defined 3D construct and the material/ cell activeness can be kept. The technology proposed has a depth potential to fabricate the live tissue analogy. Also, there may be a broad application in artificial tissue and organ.

From the Department of Mechanical Engineering