Perfusable Biohybrid Designs for Bioprinted Skeletal Muscle Tissue.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Tissue Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Engineered skeletal muscle tissue (SMT) models are crucial for studying muscle pathophysiology, including disease, regeneration, and drug responses.
• Macroscale SMT requires perfusable channels for cell survival and support structures for mechanical stimulation and myofiber alignment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create stable, centimeter-scale biohybrid SMT constructs using extrusion-based bioprinting.
• To integrate perfusable microchannels and anchors for enhanced cell viability and mechanical functionality.

Main Methods:

• Utilized extrusion-based bioprinting with an optimized blend of gelatin methacryloyl and sodium alginate.
• Coprinted synthetic support structures with living cells to create a perfusable microchannel network.
• Integrated perfusable anchors for maturation in a culture template.

Main Results:

• Achieved highly coherent interfaces between synthetic components and living tissue.
• Demonstrated preservation of cell viability throughout the scaffold via perfusable designs, preventing hypoxia.
• Showcased constructs capable of withstanding passive mechanical tension during matrix remodeling.
• Validated the utility of the constructs for studying drug distribution in engineered muscle.

Conclusions:

• Extrusion-based multimaterial bioprinting enables the creation of advanced, in vitro matured biohybrid SMT.
• These engineered tissues hold significant potential for diverse biomedical applications, including disease modeling and therapeutic development.