Bioinstructive Orthogonally-crosslinked Ovoprotein Microgels for Modular Bioprinting

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Bioprinting demands advanced biomaterials with structural adaptability and biological instruction.
• Current materials often lack the necessary combination of printability, mechanical tunability, and bioactivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish an ovoprotein-derived microgel platform for modular bioprinting.
• To create a biomaterial that is structurally adaptive and biologically instructive for tissue regeneration.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized methacrylated ovoproteins to form a photoresponsive hydrogel matrix.
• Utilized endogenous tyrosine chemistry for dityrosine coupling between microgels, creating granular networks.
• Tested compatibility with digital light processing, extrusion, and aspiration-assisted bioprinting methods.

Main Results:

• The ovoprotein microgels exhibited retained proteomic complexity, tunable mechanics, and cell-regulatory biofunction.
• Formed cohesive, microporous, and autofluorescent granular networks with programmable rheology.
• Demonstrated successful bioprinting of vascularized constructs and osteogenic tissues with in vitro maturation.

Conclusions:

• Ovoprotein microgel-spheroid bioassembly offers an adaptive and bioinstructive strategy for tissue engineering.
• This platform supports the development of vascularized and mineralized tissue constructs.
• The approach enables advanced regenerative medicine applications through modular bioprinting.