3D bioprinting of dynamic hydrogel bioinks enabled by small molecule modulators

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Materials Science
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting offers a powerful method for creating functional human tissue models.
• Existing bioinks often lack the dynamic mechanical properties required to mimic native tissue and support cellular processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a novel viscoelastic bioink with dynamic covalent cross-links for improved 3D bioprinting applications.
• To demonstrate the utility of this dynamic bioink in recapitulating the cellular microenvironment for disease modeling.

Main Methods:

• Development of a bioink with viscoelastic properties and dynamic covalent cross-linking.
• Utilized small molecule catalysts and competitors to modulate cross-linking kinetics for printability and stability.
• Printed a 3D model of breast cancer cell invasion using the engineered bioink.

Main Results:

• The engineered bioink exhibited viscoelastic behavior mimicking living tissue.
• Dynamic cross-links were crucial for enabling cellular remodeling and the formation of invasive protrusions in the cancer model.
• The bioink's cross-linking kinetics were successfully tuned for both extrusion and long-term network integrity.

Conclusions:

• Engineered dynamic bioinks can effectively replicate the native cellular microenvironment.
• This technology advances the development of sophisticated tissue models for studying complex biological processes like cancer invasion.