Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1538 |
| Journal | Micromachines |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| Publication status | Published - 10 Dec 2021 |
Abstract
Bioprinting is seen as a promising technique for tissue engineering, with hopes of one day being able to produce whole organs. However, thick tissue requires a functional vascular network, which naturally contains vessels of various sizes, down to capillaries of ~10 µm in diameter, often spaced less than 200 µm apart. If such thick tissues are to be printed, the vasculature would likely need to be printed at the same time, including the capillaries. While there are many approaches in tissue engineering to produce larger vessels in a defined manner, the small capillaries usually arise only in random patterns by sprouting from the larger vessels or from randomly distributed endothelial cells. Here, we investigated whether the small capillaries could also be printed in predefined patterns. For this purpose, we used a laser-based bioprinting technique that allows for the combination of high resolution and high cell density. Our aim was to achieve the formation of closed tubular structures with lumina by laser-printed endothelial cells along the printed patterns on a surface and in bioprinted tissue. This study shows that such capillaries are directly printable; however, persistence of the printed tubular structures was achieved only in tissue with external stimulation by other cell types.
Keywords
- Biofabrication, Bioprinting, Capillaries, Endothelial cells, Laser, Tissue engineering, Vascularization
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Engineering(all)
- Control and Systems Engineering
- Engineering(all)
- Mechanical Engineering
- Engineering(all)
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
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In: Micromachines, Vol. 12, No. 12, 1538, 10.12.2021.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Capillary-like formations of endothelial cells in defined patterns generated by laser bioprinting
AU - Koch, Lothar
AU - Deiwick, Andrea
AU - Chichkov, Boris
N1 - Funding Information: Funding: The research presented here was funded by European Union’s Horizon 2020 project PLATFORMA, Grant 951890, and German Cluster of Excellence Ex62/2 Rebirth.
PY - 2021/12/10
Y1 - 2021/12/10
N2 - Bioprinting is seen as a promising technique for tissue engineering, with hopes of one day being able to produce whole organs. However, thick tissue requires a functional vascular network, which naturally contains vessels of various sizes, down to capillaries of ~10 µm in diameter, often spaced less than 200 µm apart. If such thick tissues are to be printed, the vasculature would likely need to be printed at the same time, including the capillaries. While there are many approaches in tissue engineering to produce larger vessels in a defined manner, the small capillaries usually arise only in random patterns by sprouting from the larger vessels or from randomly distributed endothelial cells. Here, we investigated whether the small capillaries could also be printed in predefined patterns. For this purpose, we used a laser-based bioprinting technique that allows for the combination of high resolution and high cell density. Our aim was to achieve the formation of closed tubular structures with lumina by laser-printed endothelial cells along the printed patterns on a surface and in bioprinted tissue. This study shows that such capillaries are directly printable; however, persistence of the printed tubular structures was achieved only in tissue with external stimulation by other cell types.
AB - Bioprinting is seen as a promising technique for tissue engineering, with hopes of one day being able to produce whole organs. However, thick tissue requires a functional vascular network, which naturally contains vessels of various sizes, down to capillaries of ~10 µm in diameter, often spaced less than 200 µm apart. If such thick tissues are to be printed, the vasculature would likely need to be printed at the same time, including the capillaries. While there are many approaches in tissue engineering to produce larger vessels in a defined manner, the small capillaries usually arise only in random patterns by sprouting from the larger vessels or from randomly distributed endothelial cells. Here, we investigated whether the small capillaries could also be printed in predefined patterns. For this purpose, we used a laser-based bioprinting technique that allows for the combination of high resolution and high cell density. Our aim was to achieve the formation of closed tubular structures with lumina by laser-printed endothelial cells along the printed patterns on a surface and in bioprinted tissue. This study shows that such capillaries are directly printable; however, persistence of the printed tubular structures was achieved only in tissue with external stimulation by other cell types.
KW - Biofabrication
KW - Bioprinting
KW - Capillaries
KW - Endothelial cells
KW - Laser
KW - Tissue engineering
KW - Vascularization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85121618778&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/mi12121538
DO - 10.3390/mi12121538
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85121618778
VL - 12
JO - Micromachines
JF - Micromachines
SN - 2072-666X
IS - 12
M1 - 1538
ER -