Viscoll collagen solution as a novel bioink for direct 3D bioprinting

3D printing, an additive manufacturing based technology for precise 3D construction, is currently widely employed to enhance applicability and function of cell laden scaffolds. Research on novel compatible biomaterials for bioprinting exhibiting fast crosslinking properties is an essential prerequisite toward advancing 3D printing applications in tissue engineering. Printability to improve fabrication process and cell encapsulation are two of the main factors to be considered in development of 3D bioprinting. Other important factors include but are not limited to printing fidelity, stability, crosslinking time, biocom-patibility, cell encapsulation and proliferation, shear-thinning properties, and mechanical properties such as mechanical strength and elasticity. In this review, we recite recent promising advances in bioink development as well as bioprinting methods. Also, an effort has been made to include studies with diverse types of crosslinking methods such as photo, chemical and ultraviolet (UV). We also propose the challenges and future outlook of 3D bioprinting application in medical sciences and discuss the high performance bioinks.

Bioengineering, 2020

Collagen is a natural polymer found abundantly in the extracellular matrix (ECM). It is easily extracted from a variety of sources and exhibits excellent biological properties such as biocompatibility and weak antigenicity. Additionally, different processes allow control of physical and chemical properties such as mechanical stiffness, viscosity and biodegradability. Moreover, various additive biomanufacturing technology has enabled layer-by-layer construction of complex structures to support biological function. Additive biomanufacturing has expanded the use of collagen biomaterial in various regenerative medicine and disease modelling application (e.g., skin, bone and cornea). Currently, regulatory hurdles in translating collagen biomaterials still remain. Additive biomanufacturing may help to overcome such hurdles commercializing collagen biomaterials and fulfill its potential for biomedicine.

Journal of Polytechnic

The goal of tissue engineering is to create functional tissues and organs for regenerative therapies, and total organ transplantation. Bioprinting tissues are one of the most attractive approaches for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine fields. Fabrication of a complex structure via bioprinting requires layer-by-layer fabrication strategy. Bioprinting is mainly based on three processes; imaging and computer aided the design of the tissue that we wanted to print, the production of bio-ink with the selection of proper substances, the choice of a proper bioprinter depending on the product that we want, for fabrication of scaffold and/or tissues. In recent years the 3D bioprinting technology has been developed and several approaches appear by the researchers. The approaches are biomimicry, autonomous self-assembly and mini-tissue building blocks. In this study, current and future potential applications of 3D printing for the tissue engineering and regenerative medicine will be discussed.

Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 2020

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology allows fabricating complex and precise structures by stacking materials layer by layer. The fabrication method has a strong potential in the regenerative medicine field to produce customizable and defect-fillable scaffolds for tissue regeneration. Plus, biocompatible materials, bioactive molecules, and cells can be printed together or separately to enhance scaffolds, which can save patients who suffer from shortage of transplantable organs. There are various 3D printing techniques that depend on the types of materials, or inks, used. Here, different types of organs (bone, cartilage, heart valve, liver, and skin) that are aided by 3D printed scaffolds and printing methods that are applied in the biomedical fields are reviewed.

Pharmaceutics

The fast-developing field of 3D bio-printing has been extensively used to improve the usability and performance of scaffolds filled with cells. Over the last few decades, a variety of tissues and organs including skin, blood vessels, and hearts, etc., have all been produced in large quantities via 3D bio-printing. These tissues and organs are not only able to serve as building blocks for the ultimate goal of repair and regeneration, but they can also be utilized as in vitro models for pharmacokinetics, drug screening, and other purposes. To further 3D-printing uses in tissue engineering, research on novel, suitable biomaterials with quick cross-linking capabilities is a prerequisite. A wider variety of acceptable 3D-printed materials are still needed, as well as better printing resolution (particularly at the nanoscale range), speed, and biomaterial compatibility. The aim of this study is to provide expertise in the most prevalent and new biomaterials used in 3D bio-printing as well...

A growing number of three-dimensional (3D)-printing processes have been applied to tissue engineering. This paper presents a state-of-the-art study of 3D-printing technologies for tissue-engineering applications, with particular focus on the development of a computer-aided scaffold design system; the direct 3D printing of functionally graded scaffolds; the modeling of selective laser sintering (SLS) and fused deposition modeling (FDM) processes; the indirect additive manufacturing of scaffolds, with both micro and macro features; the development of a bioreactor; and 3D/4D bioprinting. Technological limitations will be discussed so as to highlight the possibility of future improvements for new 3D-printing methodologies for tissue engineering.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

The field of tissue engineering has progressed tremendously over the past few decades in its ability to fabricate functional tissue substitutes for regenerative medicine and pharmaceutical research. Conventional scaffold-based approaches are limited in their capacity to produce constructs with the functionality and complexity of native tissue. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting offers exciting prospects for scaffolds fabrication, as it allows precise placement of cells, biochemical factors, and biomaterials in a layer-by-layer process. Compared with traditional scaffold fabrication approaches, 3D bioprinting is better to mimic the complex microstructures of biological tissues and accurately control the distribution of cells. Here, we describe recent technological advances in bio-fabrication focusing on 3D bioprinting processes for tissue engineering from data processing to bioprinting, mainly inkjet, laser, and extrusion-based technique. We then review the associated bioink formulat...

Materials, 2021

Tissue engineering (TE) scaffolds have enormous significance for the possibility of regeneration of complex tissue structures or even whole organs. Three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques allow fabricating TE scaffolds, having an extremely complex structure, in a repeatable and precise manner. Moreover, they enable the easy application of computer-assisted methods to TE scaffold design. The latest additive manufacturing techniques open up opportunities not otherwise available. This study aimed to summarize the state-of-art field of 3D printing techniques in applications for tissue engineering with a focus on the latest advancements. The following topics are discussed: systematics of the available 3D printing techniques applied for TE scaffold fabrication; overview of 3D printable biomaterials and advancements in 3D-printing-assisted tissue engineering.

Biofabrication, 2012

Bioprinting is an emerging technique used to fabricate viable, 3D tissue constructs through the precise deposition of cells and hydrogels in a layer-by-layer fashion. Despite the ability to mimic the native properties of tissue, printed 3D constructs that are composed of naturally-derived biomaterials still lack structural integrity and adequate mechanical properties for use in vivo, thus limiting their development for use in load-bearing tissue engineering applications, such as cartilage. Fabrication of viable constructs using a novel multi-head deposition system provides the ability to combine synthetic polymers, which have higher mechanical strength than natural materials, with the favorable environment for cell growth provided by traditional naturally-derived hydrogels. However, the complexity and high cost associated with constructing the required robotic system hamper the widespread application of this approach. Moreover, the scaffolds fabricated by these robotic systems often lack flexibility, which further restrict their applications. To address these limitations, advanced fabrication techniques are necessary to generate complex constructs with controlled architectures and adequate mechanical properties. In this study, we describe the construction of a hybrid inkjet printing/electrospinning system that can be used to fabricate viable tissues for cartilage tissue engineering applications. Electrospinning of polycaprolactone fibers was alternated with inkjet printing of rabbit elastic chondrocytes suspended in a fibrin-collagen hydrogel in order to fabricate a five-layer tissue construct of 1 mm thickness. The chondrocytes survived within the printed hybrid construct with more than 80% viability one week after printing. In addition, the cells proliferated and maintained their basic biological properties within the printed layered constructs. Furthermore, the fabricated constructs formed cartilage-like tissues both in vitro and in vivo as evidenced by the deposition of type II collagen and glycosaminoglycans. Moreover, the printed hybrid scaffolds demonstrated enhanced mechanical properties compared to printed alginate or fibrin-collagen gels alone. This study demonstrates the feasibility of constructing a hybrid inkjet printing system using off-the-shelf components to produce cartilage constructs with improved biological and mechanical properties.

Materials

Bioink-formulations based on gelatin methacrylate combined with oxidized cellulose nanofibrils are employed in the present study. The parallel investigation of the printing performance, morphological, swelling, and biological properties of the newly developed hydrogels was performed, with inks prepared using methacrylamide-modified gelatins of fish or bovine origin. Scaffolds with versatile and well-defined internal structure and high shape fidelity were successfully printed due to the high viscosity and shear-thinning behavior of formulated inks and then photo-crosslinked. The biocompatibility of 3D-scaffolds was surveyed using human adipose stem cells (hASCs) and high viability and proliferation rates were obtained when in contact with the biomaterial. Furthermore, bioprinting tests were performed with hASCs embedded in the developed formulations. The results demonstrated that the designed inks are a versatile toolkit for 3D bioprinting and further show the benefits of using fish-...

MRS Bulletin, 2015

Three-dimensional (3D) printing represents the direct fabrication of parts layer-by-layer, guided by digital information from a computer-aided design fi le without any part-specifi c tooling. Over the past three decades, a variety of 3D printing technologies have evolved that have transformed the idea of direct printing of parts for numerous applications. Threedimensional printing technology offers signifi cant advantages for biomedical devices and tissue engineering due to its ability to manufacture low-volume or one-of-a-kind parts on-demand based on patient-specifi c needs, at no additional cost for different designs that can vary from patient to patient, while also offering fl exibility in the starting materials. However, many concerns remain for widespread applications of 3D-printed biomaterials, including regulatory issues, a sterile environment for part fabrication, and the achievement of target material properties with the desired architecture. This article offers a broad overview of the fi eld of 3D-printed biomaterials along with a few specifi c applications to assist the reader in obtaining an understanding of the current state of the art and to encourage future scientifi c and technical contributions toward expanding the frontiers of 3D-printed biomaterials.

Marine Drugs

Collagens from a wide array of animals have been explored for use in tissue engineering in an effort to replicate the native extracellular environment of the body. Marine-derived biomaterials offer promise over their conventional mammalian counterparts due to lower risk of disease transfer as well as being compatible with more religious and ethical groups within society. Here, collagen type I derived from a marine source (Macruronus novaezelandiae, Blue Grenadier) is compared with the more established porcine collagen type I and its potential in tissue engineering examined. Both collagens were methacrylated, to allow for UV crosslinking during extrusion 3D printing. The materials were shown to be highly cytocompatible with L929 fibroblasts. The mechanical properties of the marine-derived collagen were generally lower than those of the porcine-derived collagen; however, the Young’s modulus for both collagens was shown to be tunable over a wide range. The marine-derived collagen was s...

European Scientific Journal, 2014

The typical scaffold-based tissue engineering approach, though promising and still considered as a paradigm in tissue engineering, faces some challenges: immunogenicity, degradation rate of the biomaterials, toxicity of degradation products, inflammatory responses of host tissues, mechanical mismatch with surrounding tissues, cell cultures with multiple cell types & specific localization, suitable fabrication method of scaffold, and proper vascularization are some key issues which may affect the long term behaviour of the tissue engineering construct and its primary biological functions. To overcome these drawbacks & for successful reconstruction of defective tissues, new manufacturing methodologies under the principle of rapid prototyping have emerged that enabled the fabrication of structures more close in architecture to biological tissues. A more exciting approach is bioprinting also referred to as organ printing which could be defined as the use of rapid prototyping strategy for patterning and assembling biologically relevant materials like biomolecules, cells, tissues, biodegradable biomaterials in order to produce functional living tissues or organs. In this strategy functional 3D tissue is printed layer-by-layer that could be later implanted in vivo where in situ printing has also been proposed and demonstrated in some areas like skin and cartilage. This article presents a general approach of inkjet printing technology with a specific focus on its successes, limitations, & prospects for the future as a bioprinting technology in 3D tissue or organ printing.

Annals of biomedical engineering, 2016

The field of regenerative medicine has progressed tremendously over the past few decades in its ability to fabricate functional tissue substitutes. Conventional approaches based on scaffolding and microengineering are limited in their capacity of producing tissue constructs with precise biomimetic properties. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technology, on the other hand, promises to bridge the divergence between artificially engineered tissue constructs and native tissues. In a sense, 3D bioprinting offers unprecedented versatility to co-deliver cells and biomaterials with precise control over their compositions, spatial distributions, and architectural accuracy, therefore achieving detailed or even personalized recapitulation of the fine shape, structure, and architecture of target tissues and organs. Here we briefly describe recent progresses of 3D bioprinting technology and associated bioinks suitable for the printing process. We then focus on the applications of this technolo...

BIOCELL, 2012

The ultimate goal of tissue engineering is to design and fabricate functional human tissues that are similar to natural cells and are capable of regeneration. Preparation of cell aggregates is one of the important steps in 3D tissue engineering technology, particularly in organ printing. Two simple methods, hanging drop (HD) and conical tube (CT) were utilized to prepare cell aggregates. The size and viability of the aggregates obtained at different initial cell densities and pre-culture duration were compared. The proliferative ability of the cell aggregates and their ability to spread in culture plates were also investigated. In both methods, the optimum average size of the aggregates was less than 500 μm. CT aggregates were smaller than HD aggregates. 5,000 cells per drop HD aggregates showed a marked ability to attach and spread on the culture surface. The proliferative ability reduced when the initial cell density was increased. Comparing these methods, we found that the HD method having better size controlling ability as well as enhanced ability to maintain higher rates of viability, spreading, and proliferation. In conclusion, smaller HD aggregates might be a suitable choice as building blocks for making bioink particles in bioprinting technique.