Experts perfect ambient bioprinting
3 Jul 2015
A team of researchers at the University of Nottingham has bioprinted a ’play dough-like’ material capable of cell and protein transfer.
According to the researchers, the bioprinted material, which is produced in the form of a micro-particle paste capable of being injected via a syringe, could sustain stresses and strains similar to cancellous bone.
Importantly, the material was printed at ambient temperatures, making it a newly viable route to the production of materials for bone repair which would allow the inclusion of cells and proteins capable of accelerating the healing of large fractures.
“Bioprinting is a hot research area in tissue engineering
Lead researcher Jing Yang
“Bioprinting is a hot research area in tissue engineering,” said Jing Yang, of the University of Nottingham, a lead author on the paper.
“However, it usually requires a printing environment that isn’t compatible with living cells - and those materials that are compatible with living cells usually don’t have sufficient mechanical properties for certain applications.”
Typically, bioprinting techniques involve high temperature processes, or the application of ultraviolet light or organic solvents, all of which prevent the incorporation of cells and therapeutic biomolecules during the fabrication process, the researchers said.
Looking ahead, Yang said the research team will initially target the clinical application of its material as injectable bone defect filler.
“But we’ve postulated that its properties would make it highly suitable for use as a scaffold to reconstruct larger shapes, which could help with more complicated reconstructions - such as nasal reconstruction,” Yang added.
A full account of the research has been published in the journal Biofabrication.
