Abstract

3D bio-printing is an emerging technology to fabricate tissue scaffold in-vitro through the controlled allocation of biomaterial and cell, which can mimic the in-vivo counterpart of living tissue. Live cells are often encapsulated into the biomaterials (i.e., bio-ink) and extruded by controlling the printing parameters. The functionality of the bioink depends upon three factors: (a) printability, (b) shape fidelity, and (c) bio-compatibility. Increasing viscosity will improve the printability and the shape fidelity; but will require higher applied extrusion pressure, which is detrimental to the living cell dwelling in the bio-ink, which is often ignored in bio-ink optimization process. In this paper, we demonstrate a roadmap to develop and characterize bio-inks ensuring the printability, shape fidelity, and cell survivability, simultaneously. The pressure exerted on the bio-ink during extrusion processes is measured analytically and the information is incorporated in the rheology design of the bio-ink. Cell-laden filament is fabricated with Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK 293) cell and analyzed the cell viability. The overall cell viability of the filament fabricated with 8 psi and 12 psi is 90% and 74% respectively. Additionally, a crossectional live-dead assay of the printed filament with HEK 293 cell is performed which demonstrates the spatial pattern that matches our findings as well.

This content is only available via PDF.
You do not currently have access to this content.