3D Bioplotter Research Papers

A direct and comprehensive comparative study on different 3D printing modalities was performed. We employed two representative 3D printing modalities, laser- and extrusion-based, which are currently used to produce patient-specific medical implants for clinical translation, to assess how these two different 3D printing modalities affect printing outcomes. The same solid and porous constructs were created from the same biomaterial, a blend of 96% poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) and 4% hydroxyapatite (HA), using two different 3D printing modalities. Constructs were analyzed to assess their printing characteristics, including morphological, mechanical, and biological properties. We also performed an in vitro accelerated degradation study to compare…

In the field of tissue engineering, 3D printed shape memory polymers (SMPs) are drawing increased interest. Understanding how these 3D printed SMPs degrade is critical for their use in the clinic, as small changes in material properties can significantly change how they behave after in vivo implantation. Degradation of 3D printed acrylated poly(glycerol-dodecanedioate) (APGD) was examined via in vitro hydrolytic, enzymatic, and in vivo subcutaneous implantation assays. Three APGD manufacturing modalities were assessed to determine differences in degradation. Material extrusion samples showed significantly larger mass and volume loss at 2 months, compared to lasercut and vat photopolymerization samples, under both…

Scale-up of bioengineered grafts toward clinical applications is a challenge in regenerative medicine. Here, we report tissue formation and vascularization of anatomically shaped human tibial condyles ectopically with a dimension of 20 × 15 × 15 mm3. A composite of poly-ɛ-caprolactone and hydroxyapatite was fabricated using layer deposition of three-dimensional interlaid strands with interconnecting microchannels (400 μm) and seeded with human bone marrow stem cells (hMSCs) with or without osteogenic differentiation. An overlaying layer (1 mm deep) of poly(ethylene glycol)-based hydrogel encapsulating hMSCs or hMSC-derived chondrocytes was molded into anatomic shape and anchored into microchannels by gel infusion. After 6 weeks of subcutaneous implantation in athymic rats,…