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In Situ Printing-then-Mixing for Biological Structure Fabrication Using Intersecting Jets
Kyle Christensen1, Ashley Compaan2, Wenxuan Chai3
1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, ‡Department of Materials Science and Engineering, §Department of Neurology, and ∥Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States.
This study introduces an innovative inkjet bioprinting method for creating complex biological structures. It enables printing with reactive materials and fabricating heterogeneous constructs with precise composition control.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Materials Science
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Traditional 3D bioprinting faces limitations with reactive biomaterials and complex structures.
- Fabricating heterogeneous constructs with controlled compositions requires advanced bioprinting techniques.
- Existing methods struggle with reactive bioinks that change properties before deposition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and implement an intersecting jets-based inkjet bioprinting approach.
- To enable voxel-resolution printing-then-mixing for fabricating biological structures.
- To create structures using reactive materials and compositional gradients.
Main Methods:
- Utilized inkjetting to simultaneously deposit disparate materials for controlled collision and mixing.
- Fabricated neural stem cell (NSC) spheres using reactive PuraMatrix hydrogel and cell suspension.
- Printed cell-laden alginate structures and collagen sheets with hydroxyapatite (HAP) gradients.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated successful fabrication of biological structures using reactive materials.
- Achieved creation of heterogeneous structures with controlled material compositions.
- Validated the feasibility of the inkjet bioprinting approach for complex applications.
Conclusions:
- The intersecting jets inkjet bioprinting method offers a versatile solution for advanced bioprinting needs.
- This technique overcomes limitations of traditional methods when working with reactive biomaterials.
- It provides precise control over material composition, enabling novel tissue engineering applications.
