Numerous studies have focused on the optimization of ceramic architectures to fulfill a variety of scaffold functional requirements and improve biological response. Conventional fabrication techniques, however, do not allow for the production of geometrically controlled, reproducible structures and often fail to allow the independent variation of individual geometric parameters. Current developments in additive manufacturing technologies suggest that 3D printing will allow a more controlled and systematic exploration of scaffold architectures. This more direct translation of design into structure requires a pipeline for design-driven optimization. A theoretical framework for systematic design and evaluation of architectural parameters on biological response is presented. Four levels of architecture are considered, namely (1) surface topography, (2) pore size and geometry, (3) porous networks, and (4) macroscopic pore arrangement, including the potential for spatially varied architectures. Studies exploring the effect of various parameters within these levels are reviewed. This framework will hopefully allow uncovering of new relationships between architecture and biological response in a more systematic way as well as inform future refinement of fabrication techniques to fulfill architectural necessities with a consideration of biological implications.

We present a novel 3D printed multimaterial microfluidic proportional valve. The microfluidic valve is a fundamental primitive that enables the development of programmable, automated devices for controlling fluids in a precise manner. We discuss valve characterization results, as well as exploratory design variations in channel width, membrane thickness, and membrane stiffness. Compared to previous single material 3D printed valves that are stiff, these printed valves constrain fluidic deformation spatially, through combinations of stiff and flexible materials, to enable intricate geometries in an actuated, functionally graded device. Research presented marks a shift towards 3D printing multi-property programmable fluidic devices in a single step, in which integrated multimaterial valves can be used to control complex fluidic reactions for a variety of applications, including DNA assembly and analysis, continuous sampling and sensing, and soft robotics.

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One of the greatest obstacles to clinical translation of bone tissue engineering is the inability to effectively and efficiently vascularize scaffolds. The goal of this work was to explore systematically whether architecture, at a scale of hundreds of microns, can be used to direct the growth of microcapillary-like structures into the core of scaffolds. Biphasic bioceramic patterned architectures were produced using silicone molds of 3D printed parts. Grooves and ridges were designed to have widths of 330 μm and 660 μm, with periodicities respectively of 1240 μm and 630 μm. Groove depth was varied between 150 μm and 585 μm. Co-cultures of human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs) and human osteoblasts (hOBs) were used to grow microcapillary-like structures on substrates. Bioceramic architecture was found to significantly affect microcapillary-like structure location and orientation. Microcapillary-like structures were found to form predominantly in grooves or between convexities. For all patterned samples, the CD31 (endothelial cell marker) signal was at least 2.5 times higher along grooves versus perpendicular to grooves. In addition, the average signal was at least two times higher within grooves than outside grooves for all samples. Grooves with a width of 330 μm and a depth of 300 μm resulted in the formation of individual, highly aligned microcapillary-like structures with lengths around 5 mm. Extensive literature has focused on the role of nano- and micro-topography (on the scale below tens of microns) on cellular response. However, the idea that architecture at a scale much larger than a cell could be used to modulate angiogenesis has not been systematically investigated. This work shows the crucial influence of architecture on microcapillary-like structure self-assembly at the scale of hundreds of microns. Elucidating the precise correspondence between architecture and microcapillary-like structure organization will ultimately allow the engineering of microvasculature by tuning local scaffold design to achieve desirable microvessel properties.