Biological Laser Printing: A Novel Technique for Creating Heterogeneous 3-dimensional Cell Patterns

Abstract

We have developed a laser-based printing technique, called biological laser printing (BioLP). BioLP is a non-contact, orifice-free technique that rapidly deposits fL to nL scale volumes of biological material with spatial accuracy better than 5 microm. The printer's orifice-free nature allows for transfer of a wide range of biological material onto a variety of substrates. Control of transfer is performed via a computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) system which allows for deposition rates up to 100 pixels of biological material per second using the current laser systems. In this article, we present a description of the apparatus, a model of the transfer process, and a comparison to other biological printing techniques. Further, examples of current system capabilities, such as adjacent deposition of multiple cell types, large-scale cell arrays, and preliminary experiments on creating multi-layer cell constructs are presented. These cell printing experiments not only demonstrate near 100% viability, they also are the first steps toward using BioLP to create heterogeneous 3-dimensional constructs for use in tissue engineering applications.

In vitro skin three-dimensional models and their applications

“…As a pioneer of 3D printing, Charles W. Hull introduced the stereolithography method by uniting thin layers of certain materials with ultraviolet light [51]. Later, the technology was improved leading to new methods, such as laser printing [52] and ink printing [53]. In addition, soft lithographic methods were developed, which utilize 'stamping' of each cell-containing layer by creating layer-specific molds and stacking of these layers to provide a 3D shape [54,55].…”

Scaffolds in Regenerative Endodontics: A Review.

“…Theoretically, the disadvantage of using the three-dimensional cell printing technique is that careful orientation of the pulp tissue construct according to its apical and coronal asymmetry would be required during placement into cleaned and shaped root canal systems. However, early research has yet to show that threedimensional cell printing can create functional tissue in vivo [108] .…”

Laser-assisted biofabrication in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine

“…64,65 In the LIFT process, energy from a pulsed laser (wave length 248 nm, pulse rate 2.5 ns, energy 5-10 lJ) is absorbed in a thin layer of absorbing material on a transparent substrate, and light-matter interaction takes place at the interface to generate a strong pressure at the region of laser irradiation. As a result, a small pixel of the thin film is ejected from the substrate, with velocities ranging from 200 m/s to 1200 m/s, and deposited on the target [ Fig.…”