3D Printing of Tissue/Organ Analogues for Regenerative Medicine

doi:10.1201/9781315364698-25

ABSTRACT

Three-dimensional printing, also named as rapid prototyping (RP), additive manufacturing (AM), or solid freeform fabrication (SFF), consists of a series of novel platforms that can simultaneously assemble one or more biomaterials from digital models in a precisely controlled layer-by-layer fashion. Complex architectural factors, such as internal pore size, geometry, interconnectivity, branching, and orientation, can be integrated into a construct in a scale-up and reproduceable manner. ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, ⁵ ^, ⁶ ^, ^7–8 These technologies have opened new research areas in the tissue/organ regenerative medicine field. More 568and more researchers have used advanced 3D printing technologies to fabricate tissue/organ analogues close in architectures and material compositions to biological tissues and organs. ⁹ ^, ¹⁰ ^, ¹¹ ^, ¹² ^, ^13–14 Studies on 3D printing techniques for substitutes of bone, skin, pancreas, and vascularized adipose tissues have been reported. ¹⁵ ^, ^16–17 Especially, the combination of biomaterials and RP techniques is current state-of-the-art for tissue and organ manufacturing. ¹⁸ A lot of pioneer work has done by the author’s own group at the Center of Organ Manufacturing, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, China, with various biocompatible natural/synthetic biomaterials and 3D printing techniques (Fig. 20.1). ¹⁹ ^, ²⁰ ^, ²¹ ^, ²² ^, ²³ ^, ²⁴ ^, ²⁵ ^, ²⁶ ^, ²⁷ ^, ²⁸ ^, ²⁹ ^, ³⁰ ^, ³¹ ^, ³² ^, ³³ ^, ^34–35 This review mainly concentrated on the 3D printing of tissue/organ analogues for regenerative medicine. Figure 20.1 Several unique, intelligent 3D printing devices and their functional cell-laden products developed in the Center of Organ Manufacturing, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, China: (A) The first generation of the 3D cell printer with its hepatocyte and adipose-derived stem cell containing 3D constructs developed in Tsinghua University by Prof. X. H. Wang’ group<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref20_24"> 24 </xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref20_25"> 25 </xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref20_31"> 31 </xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref20_32"> 32 </xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref20_33"> 33 </xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref20_34 ref20_35"> 34–35 </xref> (B) the second generation of the 3D cell printer with two different cell types in the gelatin-based hydrogels developed in Tsinghua University by Prof. X. H. Wang’ group;<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref20_27"> 27 </xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref20_28"> 28 </xref> and (C) the double-nozzle low-temperature 3D organ printer with a hybrid hierarchical polyurethane and cell/hydrogel construct developed in Tsinghua University by Prof. X. H. Wang’ group.<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref20_19"> 19 </xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref20_21"> 21 </xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref20_23"> 23 </xref> https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315364698/8d0015c7-cd38-4102-96ca-a337a72b5fff/content/fig20_1.jpg"/>