Through joint research with the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) and the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science and ICT, a 3D bioprinting technology has been developed using natural killer cells ('NK cells') as a new method of immunotherapy for treating cancer.

An NK cell is a leukocyte that responds to the formation of viruses and tumour cells and selectively kills cells that are harmful to the human body. NK cells remove distressed cells that have been infected internally, rather than viruses that have intruded from the outside.

Allowing the 3D-printed hydrogels to encapsulate NK cells helps to prevent the loss of NK cells and enables a majority of those cells to home in on the tumour cells. Pores form in the hydrogel and NK cells that retain cell viability are released after a certain amount of time, which allows for the performance of immune functions...