scholarly journals Of balls, inks and cages: Hybrid biofabrication of 3D tissue analogs

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicanor Moldovan ◽  
Leni Maldovan ◽  
Michael Raghunath

The overarching principle of three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is the placing of cells or cell clusters in the 3D space to generate a cohesive tissue microarchitecture that comes close to in vivo characteristics. To achieve this goal, several technical solutions are available, generating considerable combinatorial bandwidth: (i) Support structures are generated first, and cells are seeded subsequently; (ii) alternatively, cells are delivered in a printing medium, so-called “bioink,” that contains them during the printing process and ensures shape fidelity of the generated structure; and (iii) a “scaffold-free” version of bioprinting, where only cells are used and the extracellular matrix is produced by the cells themselves, also recently entered a phase of accelerated development and successful applications. However, the scaffold-free approaches may still benefit from secondary incorporation of scaffolding materials, thus expanding their versatility. Reversibly, the bioink-based bioprinting could also be improved by adopting some of the principles and practices of scaffold-free biofabrication. Collectively, we anticipate that combinations of these complementary methods in a “hybrid” approach, rather than their development in separate technological niches, will largely increase their efficiency and applicability in tissue engineering.

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1629
Author(s):  
Colin H. Quinn ◽  
Andee M. Beierle ◽  
Elizabeth A. Beierle

In the quest to advance neuroblastoma therapeutics, there is a need to have a deeper understanding of the tumor microenvironment (TME). From extracellular matrix proteins to tumor associated macrophages, the TME is a robust and diverse network functioning in symbiosis with the solid tumor. Herein, we review the major components of the TME including the extracellular matrix, cytokines, immune cells, and vasculature that support a more aggressive neuroblastoma phenotype and encumber current therapeutic interventions. Contemporary treatments for neuroblastoma are the result of traditional two-dimensional culture studies and in vivo models that have been translated to clinical trials. These pre-clinical studies are costly, time consuming, and neglect the study of cofounding factors such as the contributions of the TME. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has become a novel approach to studying adult cancers and is just now incorporating portions of the TME and advancing to study pediatric solid. We review the methods of 3D bioprinting, how researchers have included TME pieces into the prints, and highlight present studies using neuroblastoma. Ultimately, incorporating the elements of the TME that affect neuroblastoma responses to therapy will improve the development of innovative and novel treatments. The use of 3D bioprinting to achieve this aim will prove useful in developing optimal therapies for children with neuroblastoma.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 3522
Author(s):  
Su Jeong Lee ◽  
Jun Hee Lee ◽  
Jisun Park ◽  
Wan Doo Kim ◽  
Su A Park

Recently, many research groups have investigated three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting techniques for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The bio-ink used in 3D bioprinting is typically a combination of synthetic and natural materials. In this study, we prepared bio-ink containing porcine skin powder (PSP) to determine rheological properties, biocompatibility, and extracellular matrix (ECM) formation in cells in PSP-ink after 3D printing. PSP was extracted without cells by mechanical, enzymatic, and chemical treatments of porcine dermis tissue. Our developed PSP-containing bio-ink showed enhanced printability and biocompatibility. To identify whether the bio-ink was printable, the viscosity of bio-ink and alginate hydrogel was analyzed with different concentration of PSP. As the PSP concentration increased, viscosity also increased. To assess the biocompatibility of the PSP-containing bio-ink, cells mixed with bio-ink printed structures were measured using a live/dead assay and WST-1 assay. Nearly no dead cells were observed in the structure containing 10 mg/mL PSP-ink, indicating that the amounts of PSP-ink used were nontoxic. In conclusion, the proposed skin dermis decellularized bio-ink is a candidate for 3D bioprinting.


Author(s):  
Earnest P. Chen ◽  
Zeren Toksoy ◽  
Bruce A. Davis ◽  
John P. Geibel

With a limited supply of organ donors and available organs for transplantation, the aim of tissue engineering with three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technology is to construct fully functional and viable tissue and organ replacements for various clinical applications. 3D bioprinting allows for the customization of complex tissue architecture with numerous combinations of materials and printing methods to build different tissue types, and eventually fully functional replacement organs. The main challenge of maintaining 3D printed tissue viability is the inclusion of complex vascular networks for nutrient transport and waste disposal. Rapid development and discoveries in recent years have taken huge strides toward perfecting the incorporation of vascular networks in 3D printed tissue and organs. In this review, we will discuss the latest advancements in fabricating vascularized tissue and organs including novel strategies and materials, and their applications. Our discussion will begin with the exploration of printing vasculature, progress through the current statuses of bioprinting tissue/organoids from bone to muscles to organs, and conclude with relevant applications for in vitro models and drug testing. We will also explore and discuss the current limitations of vascularized tissue engineering and some of the promising future directions this technology may bring.


Author(s):  
Caroline Murphy ◽  
Krishna Kolan ◽  
Wenbin Li ◽  
Julie Semon ◽  
Delbert Day ◽  
...  

 A major limitation of using synthetic scaffolds in tissue engineering applications is insufficient angiogenesis in scaffold interior. Bioactive borate glasses have been shown to promote angiogenesis. There is a need to investigate the biofabrication of polymer composites by incorporating borate glass to increase the angiogenic capacity of the fabricated scaffolds. In this study, we investigated the bioprinting of human adipose stem cells (ASCs) with a polycaprolactone (PCL)/bioactive borate glass composite. Borate glass at the concentration of 10 to 50 weight %, was added to a mixture of PCL and organic solvent to make an extrudable paste. ASCs suspended in Matrigel were ejected as droplets using a second syringe. Scaffolds measuring 10x10x1 mm3 in overall dimensions with pore sizes ranging from 100 – 300 µm were fabricated. Degradation of the scaffolds in cell culture medium showed a controlled release of bioactive glass for up to two weeks. The viability of ASCs printed on the scaffold was investigated during the same time period. This 3D bioprinting method shows a high potential to create a bioactive, highly angiogenic three-dimensional environment required for complex and dynamic interactions that govern the cell’s behavior in vivo.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio Aleman ◽  
Hemamylammal Sivakumar ◽  
Thomas DePalma ◽  
Yu Zhou ◽  
Andrea Mazzocchi ◽  
...  

The field of three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has advanced rapidly in recent years. Significant reduction in the costs associated with obtaining functional 3D bioprinting hardware platforms is both a cause and a result of these advances. As such, there are more laboratories than ever integrating bioprinting methodologies into their research. However, there is a lack of standards in the field of biofabrication governing any requirements or characteristics to support cross-compatibility with biomaterial bioinks, hardware, and different tissue types. Here we describe a modular extracellular matrix (ECM) inspired bioink comprised of collagen and hyaluronic acid base components that: 1) employ reversible internal hydrogen bonding forces to generate thixotropic materials that dynamically reduce their elastic moduli in response to increased shear stress, thus enabling increased compatibility with printing hardware; and 2) modular addons in the form of chemically-modified fibronectin and laminin that when covalently bound within the bioink support a variety of tissue types, including liver, neural, muscle, pancreatic islet, and adipose tissue. These features aim to accelerate the deployment of such bioinks for tissue engineering of functional constructs in the hands of various end users.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. 5669-5680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoko Nakamura ◽  
Tsuyoshi Kimura ◽  
Kwangwoo Nam ◽  
Toshiya Fujisato ◽  
Hiroo Iwata ◽  
...  

Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 386
Author(s):  
Ana Santos ◽  
Yongjun Jang ◽  
Inwoo Son ◽  
Jongseong Kim ◽  
Yongdoo Park

Cardiac tissue engineering aims to generate in vivo-like functional tissue for the study of cardiac development, homeostasis, and regeneration. Since the heart is composed of various types of cells and extracellular matrix with a specific microenvironment, the fabrication of cardiac tissue in vitro requires integrating technologies of cardiac cells, biomaterials, fabrication, and computational modeling to model the complexity of heart tissue. Here, we review the recent progress of engineering techniques from simple to complex for fabricating matured cardiac tissue in vitro. Advancements in cardiomyocytes, extracellular matrix, geometry, and computational modeling will be discussed based on a technology perspective and their use for preparation of functional cardiac tissue. Since the heart is a very complex system at multiscale levels, an understanding of each technique and their interactions would be highly beneficial to the development of a fully functional heart in cardiac tissue engineering.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (11) ◽  
pp. 150496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Westhauser ◽  
Christian Weis ◽  
Melanie Hoellig ◽  
Tyler Swing ◽  
Gerhard Schmidmaier ◽  
...  

Bone tissue engineering and bone scaffold development represent two challenging fields in orthopaedic research. Micro-computed tomography (mCT) allows non-invasive measurement of these scaffolds’ properties in vivo . However, the lack of standardized mCT analysis protocols and, therefore, the protocols’ user-dependency make interpretation of the reported results difficult. To overcome these issues in scaffold research, we introduce the Heidelberg-mCT-Analyzer. For evaluation of our technique, we built 10 bone-inducing scaffolds, which underwent mCT acquisition before ectopic implantation (T0) in mice, and at explantation eight weeks thereafter (T1). The scaffolds’ three-dimensional reconstructions were automatically segmented using fuzzy clustering with fully automatic level-setting. The scaffold itself and its pores were then evaluated for T0 and T1. Analysing the scaffolds’ characteristic parameter set with our quantification method showed bone formation over time. We were able to demonstrate that our algorithm obtained the same results for basic scaffold parameters (e.g. scaffold volume, pore number and pore volume) as other established analysis methods. Furthermore, our algorithm was able to analyse more complex parameters, such as pore size range, tissue mineral density and scaffold surface. Our imaging and post-processing strategy enables standardized and user-independent analysis of scaffold properties, and therefore is able to improve the quantitative evaluations of scaffold-associated bone tissue-engineering projects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Ahmed Fatimi

There are a variety of hydrogel-based bioinks commonly used in three-dimensional bioprinting. In this study, in the form of patent analysis, the state of the art has been reviewed by introducing what has been patented in relation to hydrogel-based bioinks. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the patentability of the used hydrogels, their preparation methods and their formulations, as well as the 3D bioprinting process using hydrogels, have been provided by determining publication years, jurisdictions, inventors, applicants, owners, and classifications. The classification of patents reveals that most inventions intended for hydrogels used as materials for prostheses or for coating prostheses are characterized by their function or properties Knowledge clusters and expert driving factors show that biomaterials, tissue engineering, and biofabrication research is concentrated in the most patents.


2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (9) ◽  
pp. 855-873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Divya Pankajakshan ◽  
Devendra K. Agrawal

Tissue engineering of small diameter (<5 mm) blood vessels is a promising approach for developing viable alternatives to autologous vascular grafts. It involves in vitro seeding of cells onto a scaffold on which the cells attach, proliferate, and differentiate while secreting the components of extracellular matrix that are required for creating the tissue. The scaffold should provide the initial requisite mechanical strength to withstand in vivo hemodynamic forces until vascular smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts reinforce the extracellular matrix of the vessel wall. Hence, the choice of scaffold is crucial for providing guidance cues to the cells to behave in the required manner to produce tissues and organs of the desired shape and size. Several types of scaffolds have been used for the reconstruction of blood vessels. They can be broadly classified as biological scaffolds, decellularized matrices, and polymeric biodegradable scaffolds. This review focuses on the different types of scaffolds that have been designed, developed, and tested for tissue engineering of blood vessels, including use of stem cells in vascular tissue engineering.


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