SolidWorld Group introduces Electrospider algorithm to create vasculature of complex human tissues and organs

Treviso, June 25, 2024 – SolidWorld Group S.p.A. (ticker S3D), a company listed on the Euronext Growth Milan market and parent of the Group that develops and integrates cutting-edge, comprehensive 3D digital technologies, announces that it has introduced an algorithm to engineer the creation of the vasculature of complex human tissues.

The introduction of this algorithm (for which the Company is currently obtaining a patent), confirms the Group’s role as a pioneer in the biomedical sector in offering cutting-edge solutions for the creation of complex and heterogeneous biological constructs for regenerative medicine and related fields. Not only does this open new doors to unprecedented levels of precision and quality in the biofabrication process, but it also narrows the gap in achieving the practical application of bioprinted constructs in the clinical setting, bringing the goal of making human organs made from the patient’s own cells ever closer.

The algorithm is based on the joint and complementary studies of Professor Vozzi, dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Pisa, and Mr. Rizzo, an aerospace engineer and Chairperson of SolidWorld Group. It enables the creation of the mathematical model which, beginning with the main arterial or venous graft vessel(s) in a complex tissue or organ, creates a vascular tree that carries blood up to the size of the capillaries and therefore to the cells to be nourished and oxygenated.

This will allow Electrospider, the 3D bioprinter for which SolidWorld holds the global patent, developed by the subsidiary Bio3DPrinting together with the University of Pisa, to print complex three-dimensional vascularized tissues, enabling another major advance toward reproducing a vascularized tissue or organ from a patient’s cells grown in vitro for use in the operating room. The objective is to recreate a perfectly engineered healthy organ using the patient’s cells to replace the diseased one.

“Introducing this complex system of mathematical equations, specifically designed to simulate the natural expansion of blood vessels in a vascularized organ, paves the way for engineering that targets the creation of complex human tissues. The algorithm allows us to move from biofabricating simple tissues with no or little vascularization (such as entheses and tendons) to those that are entirely vascularized (such as the liver and kidneys). The project is the result of profound synergy with the group of researchers coordinated by Professor Vozzi of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Pisa, which represents worldwide excellence in regenerative medicine studies,” says Roberto Rizzo, Chairperson and CEO of the SolidWorld Group.

The algorithm introduced by the Solidworld Group, which is among the leading 14 listed Italian companies in the biomedical sector, is a significant, revolutionary step within the Italian biomedical equipment market, currently worth more than Euro 18 billion in sales (4,641 companies employing 117,609 people) and set to grow further (source: Milano Finanza).

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What is Electrospider
Electrospider is the 3D bioprinter, for which SolidWorld holds the global patent, developed by the subsidiary Bio3DPrinting together with the University of Pisa. The machine can reproduce human cells and tissues, enabling both the tissue support structure, made of biocompatible material by electrospinning technique with nanometer thickness, and cell hydrogels of different types of human cells to be printed simultaneously for the first time. Layer by layer, the bioprinter recreates portions of “living” human tissue, developed from cells cultured in vitro and extracted directly from the patient being treated or from donor subjects. This operation drastically reduces the waiting time for implantable material and the risks associated with rejection, enabling in-depth analysis of the samples collected for studies and research in a number of fields.
Electrospider to date has been supplied to healthcare institutions, hospitals and clinics and research centers in Italy, the US, Switzerland and the Middle East.

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SolidWorld Group S.p.A. is the parent of a group of 10 companies operating in the industrial, biomedical and solar areas founded in the early 2000s by engineer Roberto Rizzo. Listed since July 6, 2022 on the Euronext Growth Milan segment of Borsa Italiana (ticker S3D), the Group is a leading developer and integrator of the latest and most comprehensive digital 3D software and hardware for manufacturing companies, supporting and accelerating their journey to Industry 5.0. Thanks to SolidWorld, all stages of production – as far as sale and recycling – are integrated using technologies that make the production process faster and more sustainable and efficient. It operates through 16 offices and 3 technology hubs and has over 220 employees and more than 10,000 client enterprises. In 2023, the Group began mass production of Electrospider, a 3D bioprinter capable of reproducing human cell tissues and organs. The acquisition of Valore BF 3d S.r.l. was finalized in 2023, which SolidWorld saw acquire a new client base. In 2023 it completed the transfer of a technology business unit from Formula E S.r.l., a company of the Vismunda S.r.l. Group, a world leader in automation for equipment focusing on the renewable energy sector which enabled SolidWorld Group to enter the solar market. The SolidWorld Group reported revenues of Euro 62 million in 2023, with a value of production of Euro 66.6 million and EBITDA of Euro 3.4 million. www.solidworldgroup.it

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