Speaker
Description
Biofabrication is an emerging field of engineering aimed at creating tissues and tissue-like structures. A key technology in biofabrication is 3D bioprinting, which utilizes methods of precise layer-by-layer deposition of cell-containing bioingredients to form active 3D structures. While 3D bioprinting allows for the creation of some biologically relevant shapes and structures, its reliance on the use of isotropic hydrogels limits the mechanical properties of the formed structures, making them unsuitable for tissues such as cartilage, bone, and skin. The hydrogels themselves also lack the complex hierarchical ECM structure of native tissue. Combining 3D bioprinting with fiber fabrication can produce 3D hybrid structures with improved mechanical and biological properties that more closely mimic the architecture of native tissue at different scales. There are attempts to combine 3D bioprinting and electrospinning/electrospinning which, however, are limited in terms of how fibers are produced, how they are deposited, and what types of structures can be obtained.
We have developed a fundamentally new approach that combines mechanical fiber spinning and 3D bioprinting, offering significant advantages over methods such as electrospinning and electrospinning. Key advantages include (i) ultra-fast deposition of continuous fibers, (ii) deposition of freestanding fibers, and (iii) precise control of fiber direction. These fibers provide strong support for the structures created, eliminating the need for crosslinking hydrogels. This ensures cell motility, facilitating efficient cell migration and tissue formation.
Kitana V., Levario-Diaz V., Cavalcanti-Adam EA, Ionov L. Biofabrication of bioink-nanofiber composite structures: Influence of rheological properties of bioinks and on bioprinting and cell-cell interaction with aligned sensor nanofibers, Advanced Healthcare Materials 2024, 13, 2303343
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