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Updated: Aug 20, 2025
Microfluidic Bioprinting for Engineering Vascularized Tissues and Organoids
Published on: August 11, 2017
Thermo-sensitive Sacrificial Microsphere-based Bioink for Centimeter-scale Tissue with Angiogenesis.
Mingjun Xie1,2,3, Yuan Sun1,2,3, Ji Wang1
1Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Center, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China.
This study introduces an innovative bioink system using sacrificial gelatin microspheres for enhanced nutrient delivery and vascularization in centimeter-scale tissue engineering. The system successfully created vascularized breast tumor tissue, showing great potential for regenerative medicine and drug screening.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Centimeter-scale tissue engineering with angiogenesis is crucial for organ regeneration and drug screening.
- Traditional bioinks face challenges in balancing nutrient support, printability, and vascularization.
- Developing advanced bioinks is essential to overcome current limitations in creating complex tissue constructs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an innovative bioink system utilizing secondary bioprinting of microspheres.
- To enhance nutrient/oxygen delivery and promote vascularization in large-scale tissue constructs.
- To create centimeter-scale vascularized tissue for applications in organ regeneration and drug screening.
Main Methods:
- Developed a bioink system with thermo-crosslinked sacrificial gelatin microspheres encapsulating human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) via electrospraying.
- Utilized gelatin methacryloyl precursor solution mixed with subject cells as the main component.
- Employed reversible thermo-crosslinking for controlled solid-liquid conversion and formation of a porous nutrient network.
Main Results:
- Gelatin microspheres facilitated controllable porous nutrient network formation during 37°C culturing, enhancing nutrient/oxygen delivery.
- Encapsulated HUVECs were released, promoting the formation of a three-dimensional vessel network within the tissue.
- Successfully constructed vascularized breast tumor tissue exceeding 1 cm in scale with observable HUVEC sprouting.
Conclusions:
- The proposed bioink system effectively addresses limitations in nutrient support, printability, and vascularization for large-scale tissue engineering.
- The system demonstrates significant potential for creating complex, vascularized tissue constructs for biomedical applications.
- This innovative approach holds promise for advancing organ regeneration and drug screening platforms.
