Recent Advances in Biomaterials for 3D Printing and Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Three-dimensional printing has significant potential as a fabrication method in creating scaffolds for tissue engineering. The applications of 3D printing in the field of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering are limited by the variety of biomaterials that can be used in this technology. Many researchers have developed novel biomaterials and compositions to enable their use in 3D printing methods. The advantages of fabricating scaffolds using 3D printing are numerous, including the ability to create complex geometries, porosities, co-culture of multiple cells, and incorporate growth factors. In this review, recently-developed biomaterials for different tissues are discussed. Biomaterials used in 3D printing are categorized into ceramics, polymers, and composites. Due to the nature of 3D printing methods, most of the ceramics are combined with polymers to enhance their printability. Polymer-based biomaterials are 3D printed mostly using extrusion-based printing and have a broader range of applications in regenerative medicine. The goal of tissue engineering is to fabricate functional and viable organs and, to achieve this, multiple biomaterials and fabrication methods need to be researched.

Tissue Engineering in Liver Regenerative Medicine: Insights into Novel Translational Technologies

“…In general, scaffold-based 3D cultivation systems which are commonly used for the cultivation of liver cells, can be divided into two groups. The first group includes porous scaffold materials such as Cryogels ® , porous natural products, or scaffolds made using electrospinning or a 3D printer [31][32][33]. In the second group, the live cells are completely enclosed by the scaffold matrix [32].…”

Polymer- and Hybrid-Based Biomaterials for Interstitial, Connective, Vascular, Nerve, Visceral and Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering

“…In addition, 3D printing is a rapidly expanding area due to availability of new instruments and materials [110][111][112]. Several approaches to 3D printing are available including fused deposition modelling, selective laser sintering, stereolithography, near-field electrospinning, and bioprinting, where inkjet printing, laser-assisted 3D printing, extrusion [113,114].…”

Harnessing the Potential of Stem Cells for Disease Modeling: Progress and Promises

“…Among the many scaffold fabrication methods, 3D-bioprinting has recently received a great deal of attention as one of the best tool to obtain specific precise architecture and biochemical composition of biocompatible materials and supporting components [135]. With this technique it could be possible to faithfully recreate native tissue cellular composition, vasculature, and architecture in vitro, thus making biomimetic tissue models, which could then be used for studying disease mechanisms, drug screening, and clinical applications [136,137].…”

“…Accordingly, 3D-bioprinting was used for generating in vitro disease models of tumor microenvironments [138], ovarian cancer [139], and drug testing [140]. Even though bioprinting of tissues and organs gave new possibilities to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine [136], their translational application is still facing some challenges. As a matter of fact, current obstacles in 3D-bioprinting methods are the poor scalability, the improvement of bioinks with appropriate biological and mechanical properties suitable to different cell types and the absence of vascularization that cause hurdles in nutrients supply, other than regulatory aspects [141].…”