3D bioprinting of oligo(poly[ethylene glycol] fumarate) for bone and nerve tissue engineering

3D bioprinting is a promising new tissue restoration technique that enables the precise deposition of cells and growth factors in order to more closely mimic the structure and function of native organs. In this study, we report the development of a new bioink using oligo(poly[ethylene glycol] fumarate) (OPF), a photo-crosslinkable, and biodegradable polymer, for 3D bioprinting. In addition to OPF, a small portion of gelatin was also incorporated into the bioink to make it bio-printable. After immersion in the cell medium, gelatin was eluted away to create a bioprinted scaffold of pure OPF. Excellent cell viability, spreading, and long-term proliferation of encapsulated cells was observed using both bone and nerve cells as examples. These results demonstrate that OPF bioink has great potential in future 3D bioprinting applications that aim to replicate complex, layered tissues, and/or organs.