A Versatile Open-Source Printhead for Low-Cost 3D Microextrusion-Based Bioprinting

Polymers

Alpha Pernía-Espinoza¹  Carmen Escobedo-Lucea²  Enrique Sodupe-Ortega²  Andres Sanz-Garcia²  Tatsuya Shimizu³ 

[1] Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of La Rioja. San José de Calasanz 31, Edificio Departamental, 26004 Logroño, Spain;Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences. University of Helsinki. Viikinkaari 5 E (P.O. Box 56), 00014 Helsinki, Finland;Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering and Science, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan;

关键词: bioprinting;    microextrusion;    tissue engineering;    bioink;    open-source;    stem cells;   

DOI  :  10.3390/polym12102346

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting promises to be essential in tissue engineering for solving the rising demand for organs and tissues. Some bioprinters are commercially available, but their impact on the field of Tissue engineering (TE) is still limited due to their cost or difficulty to tune. Herein, we present a low-cost easy-to-build printhead for microextrusion-based bioprinting (MEBB) that can be installed in many desktop 3D printers to transform them into 3D bioprinters. We can extrude bioinks with precise control of print temperature between 2–60 °C. We validated the versatility of the printhead, by assembling it in three low-cost open-source desktop 3D printers. Multiple units of the printhead can also be easily put together in a single printer carriage for building a multi-material 3D bioprinter. Print resolution was evaluated by creating representative calibration models at different temperatures using natural hydrogels such as gelatin and alginate, and synthetic ones like poloxamer. Using one of the three modified low-cost 3D printers, we successfully printed cell-laden lattice constructs with cell viabilities higher than 90% after 24-h post printing. Controlling temperature and pressure according to the rheological properties of the bioinks was essential in achieving optimal printability and great cell viability. The cost per unit of our device, which can be used with syringes of different volume, is less expensive than any other commercially available product. These data demonstrate an affordable open-source printhead with the potential to become a reliable alternative to commercial bioprinters for any laboratory.

【 授权许可】

Unknown