CENTURY COLLEGE
Inside the Fab Lab: The
Fab Lab Launches into
the Future with 3-D
Bioprinting
All photos courtesy of Century College.
T
he future of medicine has arrived,
and the Century College Fab Lab is
playing a significant role.
Bioprinting, a 3-D printing process
that uses human cells to create living
tissue, is expected to revolutionize the
field of medicine. This emerging field
is a subdivision of Biofabrication, the
production of organs and tissue by an
automated process.
be relevant to this field,” said Dr.
Panoskaltsis-Mortari.
Fab Lab Director (at the time) Scott
Simenson was thrilled to collaborate.
(Simenson is currently spearheading
the new Century College Advanced
Technology Center with many internal and
external stakeholders.)
“This represents Century College’s
investment in a whole new technology
and a whole new field,” said Simenson.
“Plus, how often does a two-year college
get to work directly with the University of
Minnesota?”
A LEADER IN INNOVATION
Beyond beginning to develop a
bioprinting program, Century College
has already invested in the future by
ordering a Bioprinter from Cellink, the
first bioink company in the world and
the leading bioprinting technology
provider. It was discounted at 15 percent
specifically for Century College.
“Cellink wanted us to have this
machine,” said Simenson. “They
recognize us as a leader in innovation.”
BIOPRINTING IS BOOMING
In the proposed program, students
would earn a certificate in biofabrication/
bioprinting after completing sixteen
credits. The bioprinting certificate, when
developed, would be the first in the Twin
Cities area.
According to Dr. Panoskaltsis-Mortari, it’s
only a matter of time before the industry
becomes commercially viable.
When the University of Minnesota, a
leading institution in the biofabrication/
bioprinting field, began developing
a bio-printing program, they looked
to collaborate with a 2-year college.
University of Minnesota Professor Dr.
Angela Panoskaltsis-Mortari, who is the
director of the university’s 3D Bioprinting
facility, considered Century College an
ideal educational partner.
“With the Fab Lab and Center for 3-D
Printing, Century College already has
much of the infrastructure that would
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Northeast Metro Business
“The bioprinting industry is poised to
come out of the university lab setting
and go to the manufacturing floor,”
said Dr. Panoskaltsis-Mortari. “There are
many industries and companies that are
interested in getting involved in it.”
Bioprinting is just one example of how the
Fab Lab integrates Science, Technology,
Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM). In a
high-tech economy, students that possess
skills in all aspects of STEAM are highly
sought after, particularly in the digital
manufacturing industry.
Dr. Panoskaltsis-Mortari is looking
forward to exploring this new field of
manufacturing with Century College.
“It’s exciting to work together with
faculty from the University of Minnesota
and Century College to craft this
program,” said Dr. Panoskaltsis-Mortari.
century.edu