In a Breakthrough Innovation, Indian Scientists Grow a Human Liver in the Lab
Pandorum Technologies, a Bangalore-based biotech startup, was started by IISc alumni. They have now developed an artificial human liver that can be grown in the lab. Read on to know more about this breakthrough innovation.
The future might just be here: a Bangalore-based startup has now grown a human liver in the laboratory. The startup is Pandorum Technologies, founded in 2011 by a group of Indian Institute of Science (IISc) alumni.
The “liver” is actually 3D-printed living tissue — grown from human cells — that can function as the human liver. These tissues will reduce the costs of research as they can be used for medical trials without depending on human or animal tissue. With their use, the discovery of drugs and vaccines will become cheaper and more efficient.
This breakthrough innovation will also eventually result in full-scale transplantable organs. 
Source: Pandorum Technologies
Arun Chandru, 30, and Tuhin Bhowmick, 34, are co-founders of Pandorum. They started the company while they were studying at IISc, Bangalore.
“We developed everything here in India,” said Mr. Chandru to The Hindu. “We can grow thousands of these tissues in the laboratory and test the efficacy of drugs on them for diseases including cancer.”
Large pharmaceutical companies currently spend billions of dollars and around 10 years of research before they can bring a drug to market.
The artificial livers developed by Pandorum should significantly reduce both time and money costs involved.
Source: Pandorum Technologies
Once full-scale organs can be bio-printed, they can also be used for transplant — there is currently an acute shortage of available human organs for patients who need them.
Pandorum was incubated at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms, Bangalore. The team has received a number of business and science awards. Their company vision is the “development and dissemination of high end innovations aimed at addressing the most important challenges in medicine and healthcare”.
Featured image source: Pandorum Technologies
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