Shaping Synthetic Multicellular and Complex Multimaterial Tissues via Embedded Extrusion-Volumetric Printing of Microgels
Abstract
In living tissues, cells express their functions following complex signals from their surrounding microenvironment. Capturing both hierarchical architectures at the micro- and macroscale, and anisotropic cell patterning remains a major challenge in bioprinting, and a bottleneck toward creating physiologically-relevant models. Addressing this limitation, a novel technique is introduced, termed Embedded Extrusion-Volumetric Printing (EmVP), converging extrusion-bioprinting and layer-less, ultra-fast volumetric bioprinting, allowing spatially pattern multiple inks/cell types. Light-responsive microgels are developed for the first time as bioresins (& mu;Resins) for light-based volumetric bioprinting, providing a microporous environment permissive for cell homing and self-organization. Tuning the mechanical and optical properties of gelatin-based microparticles enables their use as support bath for suspended extrusion printing, in which features containing high cell densities can be easily introduced. & mu;Resins can be sculpted within seconds with tomographic light projections into centimeter-scale, granular hydrogel-based, convoluted constructs. Interstitial microvoids enhanced differentiation of multiple stem/progenitor cells (vascular, mesenchymal, neural), otherwise not possible with conventional bulk hydrogels. As proof-of-concept, EmVP is applied to create complex synthetic biology-inspired intercellular communication models, where adipocyte differentiation is regulated by optogenetic-engineered pancreatic cells. Overall, EmVP offers new avenues for producing regenerative grafts with biological functionality, and for developing engineered living systems and (metabolic) disease models. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000626507Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
Advanced MaterialsVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
Wiley-VCHSubject
volumetric bioprinting; Biofabrication; FRESH printing; Optogenetics; Synthetic biology; volumetric bioprintingOrganisational unit
03694 - Fussenegger, Martin / Fussenegger, Martin
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