A multi-axis robot-based bioprinting system supporting natural cell function preservation and cardiac tissue fabrication
Published in Bioactive Materials, 2022
Abstract: Despite the recent advances in artificial tissue and organ engineering, how to generate large size viable and functional complex organs still remains as a grand challenge for regenerative medicine. Three-dimensional bioprinting has demonstrated its advantages as one of the major methods in fabricating simple tissues, yet it still faces difficulties to generate vasculatures and preserve cell functions in complex organ production. Here, we overcome the limitations of conventional bioprinting systems by converting a six degree-of-freedom robotic arm into a bioprinter, therefore enables cell printing on 3D complex-shaped vascular scaffolds from all directions. We also developed an oil bath-based cell printing method to better preserve cell natural functions after printing. Together with a self-designed bioreactor and a repeated print-and-culture strategy, our bioprinting system is capable to generate vascularized, contractible, and long-term survived cardiac tissues. Such bioprinting strategy mimics the in vivo organ development process and presents a promising solution for in vitro fabrication of complex organs.
Recommended citation: Zeyu Zhang, Chenming Wu, Chengkai Dai, Qingqing Shi, Guoxin Fang, Dongfang Xie, Xiangjie Zhao, Yong-Jin Liu*, Charlie C.L. Wang, Xiu-Jie Wang. A multi-axis robot-based bioprinting system supporting natural cell function preservation and cardiac tissue fabrication. Bioactive Materials, Volume 18, December 2022, Pages 138-150