Human Tissue Technologies/Equipment Whitepapers
Direct Print Construction of Tissue-Engineered Scaffolds
A computer-controlled 3D printing (XYZ) direct print dispensing system called the Biological Architecture Tool (BAT) has been extensively tested in the creation of multilayered and three-dimensional biological objects: tissue scaffolds and plain and patterned cellular-array slides. The BAT dispensing system has proven its versatility and reliability in tissue engineering and biological experiments. The potential employments of modified versions of the 3D printing (X,Y,Z) dispensing systems for in vivo minimally invasive surgery and other in vitro aspects of biological and medical research are discussed. Originally written for the Materials Research Society
Download Direct-Write Construction of Tissue-Engineered Scaffolds (405KB PDF)Three-Dimensional BioAssembly Tool for Generating Viable Tissue-Engineered Constructs
The primary emphasis of tissue engineering is the design and fabrication of constructs for the replacement of nonfunctional tissue. Because tissue represents a highly organized interplay of cells and extracellular matrix, the fabrication of replacement tissue should mimic this spatial organization. This report details studies evaluating the use of a three-dimensional, direct print cell deposition system to construct spatially organized viable structures. A direct print bioassembly system was designed and fabricated to permit layer-by-layer placement of cells and extracellular matrix on a variety of material substrates. Human fibroblasts suspended in polyoxyethylenelpolyoxypropylene were coextruded through a positive displacement pen delivery onto a polystyrene slide. After deposition, approximately 60% of the fibroblasts remained viable. Bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) suspended in soluble collagen type I were coextruded via microdispense pen delivery onto the hydrophilic side of flat sheets of polyethylene terephthalate. After deposition with a 25-gauge tip, approximately 86% of the BAECs were viable. When maintained in culture for up to 35 days, the constructs remained viable and maintained their original spatial organization. These results indicate the potential for utilizing a direct print, three-dimensional bioassembly tool to create viable, patterned tissue-engineered constructs.
Download Three-Dimensional BioAssembly Tool for Generating Viable Tissue-Engineered Constructs (4.5MB PDF)