Smart Bioinks for the Printing of Human Tissue Models

Abstract

3D bioprinting has tremendous potential to revolutionize the field of regenerative medicine by automating the process of tissue engineering. A significant number of new and advanced bioprinting technologies have been developed in recent years, enabling the generation of increasingly accurate models of human tissues both in the healthy and diseased state. Accordingly, this technology has generated a demand for smart bioinks that can enable the rapid and efficient generation of human bioprinted tissues that accurately recapitulate the properties of the same tissue found in vivo. Here, we define smart bioinks as those that provide controlled release of factors in response to stimuli or combine multiple materials to yield novel properties for the bioprinting of human tissues. This perspective piece reviews the existing literature and examines the potential for the incorporation of micro and nanotechnologies into bioinks to enhance their properties. It also discusses avenues for future work in this cutting-edge field.

The Art of Building Living Tissues: Exploring the Frontiers of Biofabrication with 3D Bioprinting

“…The 3DbioP skin models have been attractive alternatives for animal substitution; however, the absence of immunogenic components has been a critical challenge. , The addition of the immunogenicity aspect to the skin models could help in the treatment of infections, inflammasome research, and the development of novel skin therapeutics. , Another critical challenge in tissue engineering is to manufacture biofabricated constructs with a good shelf life, i.e., the storage life and shelf availability. In this regard, a cryobioprinting technology was developed to allow direct fabrication and in situ freezing of tissue scaffolds to allow their shelf availability .…”

“…The bioink/biomaterial formulation techniques used for 3DbioP are essential for a 3D organization with biological function. In this regard, live cells such as stem cells, primary cells, and organoids require growth factors, adhesion signaling molecules, and other additives to maintain average cellular growth and metabolism. − Recently, “smart” bioinks have been referred to as biologically active formulations that contain multiple materials and respond to environmental stimuli by releasing the appropriate growth factors and adhesion signaling molecules . Nanomaterials (NMs) have emerged as a popular and biologically compatible additive for “smart” bioinks .…”

“…This approach can potentially fabricate rapid communicating structures with patterns and light-activated gene/protein-controlled switching in synthetic biology research. , The injectable conductive cryogel fabricated with glycidyl methacrylate and CNTs showed blood-triggered shape recovery and high blood uptake capacity for hemorrhagic wound healing and hemostasis . The electroactive “smart” biopolymers were developed to facilitate the regeneration process and physiological activities through the SME mechanism, i.e., due to high shape recoverability and shape fixation ratio under physiological conditions. , …”

“…Printability is essential, as it controls the morphology of the 3D scaffold and the growth of live cells of a bioengineered structure after printing . Biomaterial compatibility is another issue, as different bioprinting techniques demand materials with different characteristics. , For example, inkjet technology requires materials capable of rapidly cross-linking to ensure the layered formation of complex structures. , On the other hand, extrusion bioprinting requires highly viscous bioink where the initial layer maintains the 3D structure, and cross-linking occurs after printing. , Therefore, the “one-bioink-fits-all” concept is hard to apply to different bioprinting techniques.…”

Three-dimensional printing of smart constructs using stimuli-responsive biomaterials: A future direction of precision medicine

“…Banche-Niclot et al . [ 117 ] proposed large-pore mesoporous silicas (LPMSs) that deliver large biomolecules, which are released on pH stimulation, for bone regeneration. The presented pH-triggered bioink was intended to imitate the release of growth factors, along with a decrease in pH during bone remodeling.…”