Advances in 3D Bioprinting of Functional Biomaterials for Neural Tissue Engineering

Dear Colleagues,

The incredibly intricate architecture of the human nervous system and difficulties in obtaining original experimental samples make it difficult to research. Animal and in vitro neural tissue models have been leveraged to study the nervous system's development, disease, and regenerative processes. However, recapitulation of the microenvironment, cellular features, and 3D architectures that match the in vivo biological architecture of the human nervous systems remains challenging. Recent advancements in 3D bioprinting and functional materials have been applied to neural tissue engineering with biomimicking mechanical, structural, and cellular properties of natural neural tissues. This Special Issue on “Advances in 3D Bioprinting of Functional Biomaterials for Neural Tissue Engineering” will concentrate on original research papers and comprehensive reviews that provide the most recent advances in functional materials and cutting-edge 3D bioprinting techniques that enable the regeneration of artificial neural tissues. Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Novel 3D-printable functional materials and bioinks for neural tissue engineering;
• Electrically conductive biomaterials and hydrogels for neural tissue engineering and neural communication;
• 3D printing of highly vascularized structures or techniques for incorporating vascularization into constructs of nerve tissue;
• Advances in multi-material bioprinting processes for the reconstruction of three-dimensional biomimicry tissues and organisms;
• 4D bioprinting with responsive biomaterials for neural tissue engineering applications;
• Efforts in neurodegenerative disease and nerve injuries modeling, treatment, and drug screening via bioprinted in vitro models;
• Improved nerve regeneration capability through the development of advanced tissue scaffolds and nerve conduits.

Dr. Yuxin Tong
Dr. Christopher M. Madl
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• 3D bioprinting
• functional biomaterials
• neural tissue engineering