In Europe, about 15-40 percentage of the population is affected by so-called 'dry eye disease'. Some of them suffer from a special form of this disease, which can lead to severe pain, impaired vision, and even blindness. In these patients, the lacrimal gland is damaged, caused by radiation therapy for tumor treatment in the head area, injuries, or autoimmune diseases. Currently, there is no established therapy to completely restore the lacrimal gland. The aim of this project is to develop a three-dimensional lacrimal gland model that will be used to investigate mechanisms and therapy options. For the production of the model, a bio-ink for 3D bio-printing is to be developed, representing the natural environment of lacrimal gland cells and supporting them in their functions, such as the formation of tear fluid.

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