3D bioprinting for lungs and hollow organs

Three-dimensional bioprinting has been gaining attention as a potential method for creating biological tissues, supplementing the current arsenal of tissue engineering techniques. 3D bioprinting raises the possibility of reproducibly creating complex macro- and microscale architectures using multiple different cell types. This is promising for creation of multilayered hollow organs, which has been challenging using more traditional tissue engineering techniques. In this review, the state of the field in bioprinting of epithelialized hollow and tubular organs is discussed. Most of the progress for the pulmonary system has been restricted to the trachea. Due to the gross structural similarities and common engineering challenges when creating any epithelialized hollow organ, this review also covers current progress in printing within the gastrointestinal and genitourinary systems, as well as applications of traditional plastic printing in engineering these tissues.