An open-source bioink database for microextrusion 3D printing

Abstract

3D printing has rapidly become a critical enabling technology in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine for the fabrication of complex engineered tissues. 3D bioprinting, in particular, has advanced greatly to facilitate the incorporation of a broad spectrum of biomaterials along with cells and biomolecules of interest for in vitro tissue generation. The increasing complexity of novel bioink formulations and application-dependent printing conditions poses a significant challenge for replicating or innovating new bioprinting strategies. As the field continues to grow, it is imperative to establish a cohesive, open-source database that enables users to search through existing 3D printing formulations rapidly and efficiently. Because of these challenges, we have developed, to our knowledge, the first bioink database for extrusion-based 3D printing. The database is publicly available and allows users to search through and easily access information on biomaterials and cells specifically used in 3D printing. In order to enable a community-driven database growth, we have established an open-source portal for researchers to enter their publication information for addition into the database. Although the database has a broad range of capabilities, we demonstrate its utility by performing a comprehensive analysis of the printability domains of two well-established biomaterials in the printing world, namely poly(-caprolactone) (PCL) and gelatin methacrylate (GelMA). The database allowed us to rapidly identify combinations of extrusion pressure, temperature, and speed that have been used to print these biomaterials and more importantly, identify domains within which printing was not possible. The data also enabled correlation analysis between all the printing parameters including needle size and type that exhibited compatibility for cell-based 3D printing. Overall, this database is an extremely useful tool for the 3D printing and bioprinting community to advance their research and is an important step towards standardization in the field.

Perfusable Biohybrid Designs for Bioprinted Skeletal Muscle Tissue

“…[ 55,56 ] In bioprinting, alginate and gelatin blends are preferably created to improve the thixotropic and rheological properties of the bioinks. [ 54 ] Moreover, alginate–gelatin blends also create multicompartmental hydrogel designs to control cellular orientation (e.g., 3D microfilaments), a crucial technical aspect in muscle tissue biofabrication. [ 55,57 ]…”

“…[52,53] GelMA is a UV-based crosslinkable hydrogel that has been widely used in biofabrication and skeletal muscle cell models, due to its excellent thermal stability, biocompatibility, solubility in water, biodegradability, and low antigenicity. [14,54,55] Alginate is a naturally derived polysaccharide hydrogel and another top biomaterial used in printed micro-biofabrication, and widely applied in muscle tissue engineering. [55,56] In bioprinting, alginate and gelatin blends are preferably created to improve the thixotropic and rheological properties of the bioinks.…”

“…[55,56] In bioprinting, alginate and gelatin blends are preferably created to improve the thixotropic and rheological properties of the bioinks. [54] Moreover, alginate-gelatin blends also create multicompartmental hydrogel designs to control cellular orientation (e.g., 3D microfilaments), a crucial technical aspect in muscle tissue biofabrication. [55,57] Even if the component materials were not novel in biofabrication, our specific, 8% GelMA-7% NaAlg ink formulation allowed us to print construct geometries with higher accuracy compared to other formulations.…”

Advancements of 3D bioprinting in regenerative medicine: Exploring cell sources for organ fabrication

“…Achieving the multifunctionality of complex tissues and organs using a single type of bioink poses several challenges [ [109] , [110] , [111] ]. Simply increasing the concentration of bioinks to enhance the mechanical properties of bioprinting structures lacks the ability to selectively couple small molecules or dynamically alter the printed structures [ [112] , [113] , [114] ].…”

Recent advances of three-dimensional bioprinting technology in hepato-pancreato-biliary cancer models

“…The process of 3D bioprinting refers to printing and patterning bio-functional materials in a manner of layer-by-layer on substrates or culture dishes containing cell culture medium to maintain cellular adhesion and sustained growth (18,20,22). Bio-functional materials include living cells, basic structure materials and other essential components, which are defined as bioinks (23,24). To reproduce the complex and heterogeneous architecture of organs and tissue, gaining a comprehensive and sufficient understanding of composition and organization of their components is essential.…”