3D-printed Bioreactors for In Vitro Modeling and Analysis

In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) printing has markedly enhanced the functionality of bioreactors by offering the capability of manufacturing intricate architectures, which changes the way of conducting in vitro biomodeling and bioanalysis. As 3D-printing technologies become increasingly mature, the architecture of 3D-printed bioreactors can be tailored to specific applications using different printing approaches to create an optimal environment for bioreactions. Multiple functional components have been combined into a single bioreactor fabricated by 3D-printing, and this fully functional integrated bioreactor outperforms traditional methods. Notably, several 3D-printed bioreactors systems have demonstrated improved performance in tissue engineering and drug screening due to their 3D cell culture microenvironment with precise spatial control and biological compatibility. Moreover, many microbial bioreactors have also been proposed to address the problems concerning pathogen detection, biofouling, and diagnosis of infectious diseases. This review offers a reasonably comprehensive review of 3D-printed bioreactors for in vitro biological applications. We compare the functions of bioreactors fabricated by various 3D-printing modalities and highlight the benefit of 3D-printed bioreactors compared to traditional methods.

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Three-dimensionally printed polycaprolactone/multicomponent bioactive glass scaffolds for potential application in bone tissue engineering

Biomedical glasses ◽

10.1515/bglass-2020-0006 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 57-69

Author(s):

Amirhosein Fathi ◽

Farzad Kermani ◽

Aliasghar Behnamghader ◽

Sara Banijamali ◽

Masoud Mozafari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tissue Engineering ◽

3D Printing ◽

Bone Tissue Engineering ◽

Bone Tissue ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Layer By Layer ◽

Composite Scaffolds ◽

3D Printed ◽

Co Doped

AbstractOver the last years, three-dimensional (3D) printing has been successfully applied to produce suitable substitutes for treating bone defects. In this work, 3D printed composite scaffolds of polycaprolactone (PCL) and strontium (Sr)- and cobalt (Co)-doped multi-component melt-derived bioactive glasses (BGs) were prepared for bone tissue engineering strategies. For this purpose, 30% of as-prepared BG particles (size <38 μm) were incorporated into PCL, and then the obtained composite mix was introduced into a 3D printing machine to fabricate layer-by-layer porous structures with the size of 12 × 12 × 2 mm3.The scaffolds were fully characterized through a series of physico-chemical and biological assays. Adding the BGs to PCL led to an improvement in the compressive strength of the fabricated scaffolds and increased their hydrophilicity. Furthermore, the PCL/BG scaffolds showed apatite-forming ability (i.e., bioactivity behavior) after being immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF). The in vitro cellular examinations revealed the cytocompatibility of the scaffolds and confirmed them as suitable substrates for the adhesion and proliferation of MG-63 osteosarcoma cells. In conclusion, 3D printed composite scaffolds made of PCL and Sr- and Co-doped BGs might be potentially-beneficial bone replacements, and the achieved results motivate further research on these materials.

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Evaluation of the 3D Printing Accuracy of a Dental Model According to Its Internal Structure and Cross-Arch Plate Design: An In Vitro Study

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma13235433 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (23) ◽

pp. 5433

Author(s):

Seung-Ho Shin ◽

Jung-Hwa Lim ◽

You-Jung Kang ◽

Jee-Hwan Kim ◽

June-Sung Shim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

3D Printing ◽

Internal Structure ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

In Vitro Study ◽

Thick Shell ◽

Plate Design ◽

Dental Model ◽

3D Printed ◽

Modeling Data

The amount of photopolymer material consumed during the three-dimensional (3D) printing of a dental model varies with the volume and internal structure of the modeling data. This study analyzed how the internal structure and the presence of a cross-arch plate influence the accuracy of a 3D printed dental model. The model was designed with a U-shaped arch and the palate removed (Group U) or a cross-arch plate attached to the palate area (Group P), and the internal structure was divided into five types. The trueness and precision were analyzed for accuracy comparisons of the 3D printed models. Two-way ANOVA of the trueness revealed that the accuracy was 135.2 ± 26.3 µm (mean ± SD) in Group U and 85.6 ± 13.1 µm in Group P. Regarding the internal structure, the accuracy was 143.1 ± 46.8 µm in the 1.5 mm-thick shell group, which improved to 111.1 ± 31.9 µm and 106.7 ± 26.3 µm in the roughly filled and fully filled models, respectively. The precision was 70.3 ± 19.1 µm in Group U and 65.0 ± 8.8 µm in Group P. The results of this study suggest that a cross-arch plate is necessary for the accurate production of a model using 3D printing regardless of its internal structure. In Group U, the error during the printing process was higher for the hollowed models.

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Living the heart in three dimensions: applications of 3D printing in CHD

Cardiology in the Young ◽

10.1017/s1047951119000398 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (06) ◽

pp. 733-743 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mari Nieves Velasco Forte ◽

Tarique Hussain ◽

Arno Roest ◽

Gorka Gomez ◽

Monique Jongbloed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

3D Printing ◽

Heart Surgery ◽

Wide Spectrum ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Structural Heart Disease ◽

Medical Personnel ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Patient Specific ◽

3D Printed

AbstractAdvances in biomedical engineering have led to three-dimensional (3D)-printed models being used for a broad range of different applications. Teaching medical personnel, communicating with patients and relatives, planning complex heart surgery, or designing new techniques for repair of CHD via cardiac catheterisation are now options available using patient-specific 3D-printed models. The management of CHD can be challenging owing to the wide spectrum of morphological conditions and the differences between patients. Direct visualisation and manipulation of the patients’ individual anatomy has opened new horizons in personalised treatment, providing the possibility of performing the whole procedure in vitro beforehand, thus anticipating complications and possible outcomes. In this review, we discuss the workflow to implement 3D printing in clinical practice, the imaging modalities used for anatomical segmentation, the applications of this emerging technique in patients with structural heart disease, and its limitations and future directions.

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Multi-layer Scaffolds of Poly(caprolactone), Poly(glycerol sebacate) and Bioactive Glasses Manufactured by Combined 3D Printing and Electrospinning

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano10040626 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 626 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Adja B. R. Touré ◽

Elisa Mele ◽

Jamieson K. Christie

Keyword(s):

3D Printing ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Bioactive Glasses ◽

Multi Scale ◽

Potential Applications ◽

3D Printed ◽

Excellent Adhesion ◽

Poly Caprolactone ◽

Hydrolysis Of

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has been combined with electrospinning to manufacture multi-layered polymer/glass scaffolds that possess multi-scale porosity, are mechanically robust, release bioactive compounds, degrade at a controlled rate and are biocompatible. Fibrous mats of poly (caprolactone) (PCL) and poly (glycerol sebacate) (PGS) have been directly electrospun on one side of 3D-printed grids of PCL-PGS blends containing bioactive glasses (BGs). The excellent adhesion between layers has resulted in composite scaffolds with a Young’s modulus of 240–310 MPa, higher than that of 3D-printed grids (125–280 MPa, without the electrospun layer). The scaffolds degraded in vitro by releasing PGS and BGs, reaching a weight loss of ~14% after 56 days of incubation. Although the hydrolysis of PGS resulted in the acidification of the buffer medium (to a pH of 5.3–5.4), the release of alkaline ions from the BGs balanced that out and brought the pH back to 6.0. Cytotoxicity tests performed on fibroblasts showed that the PCL-PGS-BGs constructs were biocompatible, with cell viability of above 125% at day 2. This study demonstrates the fabrication of systems with engineered properties by the synergy of diverse technologies and materials (organic and inorganic) for potential applications in tendon and ligament tissue engineering.

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3D Printed In Vitro Dentin Model to Investigate Occlusive Agents against Tooth Sensitivity

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma14237255 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (23) ◽

pp. 7255

Author(s):

Shiva Naseri ◽

Megan E. Cooke ◽

Derek H. Rosenzweig ◽

Maryam Tabrizian

Keyword(s):

3D Printing ◽

Type I Collagen ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Raw Material ◽

Type I ◽

Dentinal Tubule ◽

Human Teeth ◽

Tooth Sensitivity ◽

3D Printed

Tooth sensitivity is a painful and very common problem. Often stimulated by consuming hot, cold, sweet, or acidic foods, it is associated with exposed dentin microtubules that are open to dental pulp. One common treatment for tooth hypersensitivity is the application of occlusive particles to block dentin microtubules. The primary methodology currently used to test the penetration and occlusion of particles into dentin pores relies upon dentin discs cut from extracted bovine/human teeth. However, this method is limited due to low accessibility to the raw material. Thus, there is a need for an in vitro dentin model to characterize the effectiveness of occlusive agents. Three-dimensional printing technologies have emerged that make the printing of dentin-like structures possible. This study sought to develop and print a biomaterial ink that mimicked the natural composition and structure of dentin tubules. A formulation of type I collagen (Col), nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (HAp), and alginate (Alg) was found to be suitable for the 3D printing of scaffolds. The performance of the 3D printed dentin model was compared to the natural dentin disk by image analysis via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), both pre- and post-treatment with occlusive microparticles, to evaluate the degree of dentinal tubule occlusion. The cytocompatibility of printed scaffolds was also confirmed in vitro. This is a promising biomaterial system for the 3D printing of dentin mimics.

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A three-dimensional (3D) printing approach to fabricate an isolation chip for high throughput in situ cultivation of environmental microbes

Lab on a Chip ◽

10.1039/d1lc00723h ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Calvin Bok Sun Goh ◽

Clariss Hui Peng Goh ◽

Li Wen Wong ◽

Wai Teng Cheng ◽

Catherine Mary Yule ◽

...

Keyword(s):

3D Printing ◽

High Throughput ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Petri Dish ◽

Microbial Populations ◽

Cultivation Method ◽

3D Printed ◽

Environmental Microbes

The 3D-printed iChip version made from thermoplastics or photopolymers can isolate microbial populations of a peat swamp in situ with a population profile different from that isolated via the standard in vitro Petri dish cultivation method.

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3D Printing and Bioprinting to Model Bone Cancer: The Role of Materials and Nanoscale Cues in Directing Cell Behavior

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13164065 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (16) ◽

pp. 4065

Author(s):

Tiziana Fischetti ◽

Gemma Di Pompo ◽

Nicola Baldini ◽

Sofia Avnet ◽

Gabriela Graziani

Keyword(s):

3D Printing ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Bone Cancer ◽

3D Models ◽

Potential Development ◽

3D Printed ◽

Ceramic Fillers ◽

Biological Mechanics

Bone cancer, both primary and metastatic, is characterized by a low survival rate. Currently, available models lack in mimicking the complexity of bone, of cancer, and of their microenvironment, leading to poor predictivity. Three-dimensional technologies can help address this need, by developing predictive models that can recapitulate the conditions for cancer development and progression. Among the existing tools to obtain suitable 3D models of bone cancer, 3D printing and bioprinting appear very promising, as they enable combining cells, biomolecules, and biomaterials into organized and complex structures that can reproduce the main characteristic of bone. The challenge is to recapitulate a bone-like microenvironment for analysis of stromal–cancer cell interactions and biological mechanics leading to tumor progression. In this review, existing approaches to obtain in vitro 3D-printed and -bioprinted bone models are discussed, with a focus on the role of biomaterials selection in determining the behavior of the models and its degree of customization. To obtain a reliable 3D bone model, the evaluation of different polymeric matrices and the inclusion of ceramic fillers is of paramount importance, as they help reproduce the behavior of both normal and cancer cells in the bone microenvironment. Open challenges and future perspectives are discussed to solve existing shortcomings and to pave the way for potential development strategies.

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3D Printed Clamps for In Vitro Tensile Tests of Human Gracilis and the Superficial Third of Quadriceps Tendons

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11062563 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 2563

Author(s):

Ivan Grgić ◽

Vjekoslav Wertheimer ◽

Mirko Karakašić ◽

Željko Ivandić

Keyword(s):

3D Printing ◽

Fused Deposition Modeling ◽

Tensile Tests ◽

Biomechanical Properties ◽

Testing Procedure ◽

Laboratory Equipment ◽

Fused Deposition ◽

Custom Made ◽

3D Printed

Recent soft tissue studies have reported issues that occur during experimentation, such as the tissue slipping and rupturing during tensile loads, the lack of standard testing procedure and equipment, the necessity for existing laboratory equipment adaptation, etc. To overcome such issues and fulfil the need for the determination of the biomechanical properties of the human gracilis and the superficial third of the quadriceps tendons, 3D printed clamps with metric thread profile-based geometry were developed. The clamps’ geometry consists of a truncated pyramid pattern, which prevents the tendons from slipping and rupturing. The use of the thread application in the design of the clamp could be used in standard clamping development procedures, unlike in previously custom-made clamps. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) was used as a 3D printing technique, together with polylactic acid (PLA), which was used as a material for clamp printing. The design was confirmed and the experiments were conducted by using porcine and human tendons. The findings justify the usage of 3D printing technology for parts manufacturing in the case of tissue testing and establish independence from the existing machine clamp system, since it was possible to print clamps for each prepared specimen and thus reduce the time for experiment setup.

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Mammary gland 3D cell culture systems in farm animals

Veterinary Research ◽

10.1186/s13567-021-00947-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 52 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Laurence Finot ◽

Eric Chanat ◽

Frederic Dessauge

Keyword(s):

Cell Culture ◽

Mammary Gland ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

3D Cell Culture ◽

Farm Animals ◽

Culture Systems ◽

Cell Culture Systems

AbstractIn vivo study of tissue or organ biology in mammals is very complex and progress is slowed by poor accessibility of samples and ethical concerns. Fortunately, however, advances in stem cell identification and culture have made it possible to derive in vitro 3D “tissues” called organoids, these three-dimensional structures partly or fully mimicking the in vivo functioning of organs. The mammary gland produces milk, the source of nutrition for newborn mammals. Milk is synthesized and secreted by the differentiated polarized mammary epithelial cells of the gland. Reconstructing in vitro a mammary-like structure mimicking the functional tissue represents a major challenge in mammary gland biology, especially for farm animals for which specific agronomic questions arise. This would greatly facilitate the study of mammary gland development, milk secretion processes and pathological effects of viral or bacterial infections at the cellular level, all with the objective of improving milk production at the animal level. With this aim, various 3D cell culture models have been developed such as mammospheres and, more recently, efforts to develop organoids in vitro have been considerable. Researchers are now starting to draw inspiration from other fields, such as bioengineering, to generate organoids that would be more physiologically relevant. In this chapter, we will discuss 3D cell culture systems as organoids and their relevance for agronomic research.

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Three-dimensional printing for heart diseases: clinical application review

Bio-Design and Manufacturing ◽

10.1007/s42242-021-00125-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yanyan Ma ◽

Peng Ding ◽

Lanlan Li ◽

Yang Liu ◽

Ping Jin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

3D Printing ◽

Clinical Application ◽

Heart Diseases ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Convincing Evidence ◽

Surgical Interventions ◽

Three Dimensional Printing ◽

Complex Anatomy ◽

Precise Understanding ◽

3D Printed

AbstractHeart diseases remain the top threat to human health, and the treatment of heart diseases changes with each passing day. Convincing evidence shows that three-dimensional (3D) printing allows for a more precise understanding of the complex anatomy associated with various heart diseases. In addition, 3D-printed models of cardiac diseases may serve as effective educational tools and for hands-on simulation of surgical interventions. We introduce examples of the clinical applications of different types of 3D printing based on specific cases and clinical application scenarios of 3D printing in treating heart diseases. We also discuss the limitations and clinically unmet needs of 3D printing in this context.

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