My experience at Metatissue #2 Karl Jacobsen

I was fortunate enough to join the Metatissue team for my internship for 5 months. Part of my master studies of Biomedical Engineering, at the University of Twente (NL), is an internship to gather some experience working in the field. In context of a blossoming partnership between the University of Aveiro and my University it was suggested that I can go to Portugal and work for Metatissue. I jumped at the opportunity and a couple of month later I found myself in the windy city of Aveiro.

It is always exciting and scary to be thrown into a new environment. Fortunately, I was welcomed with open arms and could focus on my work right away. My task was the development of a commercially viable bioink derived from decellularized placental tissue. Creating a bioink is no easy task and there are a ton of variables to balance for the ink to be printable on a 3D-bioprinter. Because this task builds upon everything that Metatissue already does, I was involved in the whole process of the tissue isolation, decellularization, solubilization, modification and characterization. This involvement enabled me to learn a huge amount about processes and techniques that were previously unfamiliar to me.

I always felt like I could approach everyone at Metatissue with problems that I encountered and there were little to no restrictions for my project. It was amazing to have not only all the equipment at my disposal but also so many people with all the knowledge that they gathered studying the subject.

I enjoyed every moment of my internship and am excited to see what the future brings for Metatissue and all the amazing people that make human derived 3D cell culture solutions a reality with their daily commitment. Thank you all so much!

Karl Jacobsen