A quantitative metric for pattern fidelity of bioprinted cocultures

This article describes a quantitative metric for coculture pattern fidelity and its use in the assessment of bioprinting systems. Increasingly, bioprinting is used to create in vitro cell and tissue models for the purpose of studying cell behavior and cell-cell interaction. To create meaningful models, a bioprinting system must be able to place cells in biologically relevant patterns with sufficient fidelity. A metric for assessing fidelity would be valuable for tuning experimental processes and parameters within a bioprinting system and for comparing performance between different systems. Toward this end, the "bioprinting fidelity index" (BFI), a metric which rates a bioprinted patterned coculture with a single number based on the proportions of correctly placed cells, is proposed. Additionally, a mathematical model of drop-on-demand printing is introduced, which predicts an upper bound on the BFI based on drop placement statistics. A proof-of-concept study was conducted in which patterned cocultures of D1 and 4T07 cells were produced in two different demonstration patterns. The BFI for the patterned cocultures was calculated and compared to the printing model fidelity prediction. The printing model successfully predicted the best BFI observed in the samples, and the BFI showed quantitatively that post-processing techniques negatively impacted the final fidelity of the samples. The BFI provides a principled method for comparing printing and post-processing methods.     

Hyaluronic acid-based clinical biomaterials derived for cell and molecule delivery in regenerative medicine

The development of injectable and biocompatible vehicles for delivery, retention, growth, and differentiation of stem cells is of paramount importance for regenerative medicine. For cell therapy and the development of clinical combination products, we created a hyaluronan (HA)-based synthetic extracellular matrix (sECM) that provides highly reproducible, manufacturable, approvable, and affordable biomaterials. The composition of the sECM can be customized for use with progenitor and mature cell populations obtained from skin, fat, liver, heart, muscle, bone, cartilage, nerves, and other tissues. This overview describes the design criteria for “living” HA derivatives, and the many uses of this in situ crosslinkable HA-based sECM hydrogel for three-dimensional (3-D) culture of cells in vitro and translational use in vivo. Recent advances allow rapid expansion and recovery of cells in 3-D, and the bioprinting of engineered tissue constructs. The uses of HA-derived sECMs for cell and molecule delivery in vivo will be reviewed, including applications in cancer biology and tumor imaging.     

A three-dimensional bioprinting system for use with a hydrogel-based biomaterial and printing parameter characterization

Bioprinting is an emerging technology for constructing tissue or bioartificial organs with complex three-dimensional (3D) structures. It provides high-precision spatial shape forming ability on a larger scale than conventional tissue engineering methods, and simultaneous multiple components composition ability. Bioprinting utilizes a computer-controlled 3D printer mechanism for 3D biological structure construction. To implement minimal pattern width in a hydrogel-based bioprinting system, a study on printing characteristics was performed by varying printer control parameters. The experimental results showed that printing pattern width depends on associated printer control parameters such as printing flow rate, nozzle diameter, and nozzle velocity. The system under development showed acceptable feasibility of potential use for accurate printing pattern implementation in tissue engineering applications and is another example of novel techniques for regenerative medicine based on computer-aided biofabrication system.     

Osteoarthritis: From upcoming treatments to treatments yet to come

Osteoarthritis affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, and its prevalence is constantly increasing. While there is currently no treatment that can alter the course of the disease, promising therapeutic strategies and novel targets are being investigated. Innovative cell therapies are already reaching clinical trials, and recent progress in our understanding of the disease is opening new routes for gene therapy. In the long term, the development of new biofabrication tools, such as 3D bioprinting, may pave the way for personalized mini-joint models that could be used to screen drugs and to personalize treatments. This review provides an overview of the most promising therapeutic approaches in the field of osteoarthritis, from upcoming treatments to those that are yet to be discovered.     

Emerging trends in organ-on-a-chip systems for drug screening

New drug discovery is under growing pressure to satisfy the demand from a wide range of domains, especially from the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare services. Assessment of drug efficacy and safety prior to human clinical trials is a crucial part of drug development, which deserves greater emphasis to reduce the cost and time in drug discovery. Recent advances in microfabrication and tissue engineering have given rise to organ-on-a-chip, an in vitro model capable of recapitulating human organ functions in vivo and providing insight into disease pathophysiology, which offers a potential alternative to animal models for more efficient pre-clinical screening of drug candidates. In this review, we first give a snapshot of general considerations for organ-on-a-chip device design. Then, we comprehensively review the recent advances in organ-on-a-chip for drug screening. Finally, we summarize some key challenges of the progress in this field and discuss future prospects of organ-on-a-chip development. Overall, this review highlights the new avenue that organ-on-a-chip opens for drug development, therapeutic innovation, and precision medicine.     

Artificial organs 2010: a year in review

In this Editor's Review, articles published in 2010 are organized by category and briefly summarized. As the official journal of The International Federation for Artificial Organs, The International Faculty for Artificial Organs, and the International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps, Artificial Organs continues in the original mission of its founders "to foster communications in the field of artificial organs on an international level."Artificial Organs continues to publish developments and clinical applications of artificial organ technologies in this broad and expanding field of organ Replacement, Recovery, and Regeneration from all over the world. We take this time also to express our gratitude to our authors for offering their work to this journal. We offer our very special thanks to our reviewers who give so generously of time and expertise to review, critique, and especially provide such meaningful suggestions to the author's work whether eventually accepted or rejected and especially to those whose native tongue is not English. Without these excellent and dedicated reviewers the quality expected from such a journal could not be possible. We also express our special thanks to our Publisher, Wiley-Blackwell, for their expert attention and support in the production and marketing of Artificial Organs. In this Editor's Review, that historically has been widely received by our readership, we aim to provide a brief reflection of the currently available worldwide knowledge that is intended to advance and better human life while providing insight for continued application of technologies and methods of organ Replacement, Recovery, and Regeneration. We look forward to recording further advances in the coming years.     

3D生物打印复层空腔组织的初步研究

目的探讨利用生物打印系统一次性同步快速构建复层管状结构的可行性。方法将不同浓度的海藻酸盐和GelMA配比,进行生物力学检测,确定复合水凝胶打印的可行性;将水凝胶分别混合示踪剂及标记细胞,打印具有双层结构空腔管状结构,进行细胞活力检测并验证可灌注性。结果复合水凝胶杨氏模量为(8.78±1.73)×10-3 MPa,较单纯Gel MA的(2.38±0.69)×10-3 MPa和单纯海藻酸盐的(0.83±0.24)×10-3 MPa有明显统计学差异;同轴打印内外复层结构的壁厚分别为(62.06±0.45)μm和(93.78±10.25)μm;内、外管的管径分别为(663.66±51.74)μm和(976.84±63.44)μm;外管(红色微珠颗粒标识)和内管(绿色微珠颗粒标识)具有明显的分层差异;3T3细胞分别在内、外层同时打印后,体外培养1周,第1、3、7天细胞活力可以维持在(88.50%±5.8%)、(85.57%±6.22%)和(96.29%±2.64%);复层管状结构橙色溶液灌注,复层管壁完整性良好,未见明显液体渗出。结论本实验利用复合水凝胶构建复层空腔组织,打印后空腔组织内细胞能够长期存活,并具有一定的灌注功能。     

Three dimensional printing: A review on the utility within medicine and otolaryngology

Three dimensional (3D) printing is a novel technique that has evolved over the past 35 years and has the potential to revolutionize the field of medicine with its inherent advantages of customizability and the ability to create complex shapes with precision. It has been used extensively within the fields of orthopedics, dentistry, and craniofacial reconstruction with wide ranging utility including, medical modeling, surgical planning and the production of custom plates, screws and surgical guides. Furthermore, it has been used for similar means in the field of Otorhinolaryngology and also has potential to revolutionize the treatment of airway malacia. In fact, 3D printed external tracheal splints have already been studied in several pediatric patients with very promising results. The emerging field of 3D bioprinting, which integrates tissue engineering with 3D printing, may produce a paradigm shift with the potential introduction of customized functional biologic replacements.