Advances in Multi-Material Hydrogel for 3D Bioprinting

Dear Colleagues,

Three-dimensional bioprinting has revolutionized the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, enabling the fabrication of complex, cell-laden structures. A key challenge in advancing this field is the development of biomaterials—commonly known as bioinks—that balance optimal mechanical properties, bioactivity, and printability. Most bioinks are hydrogel-based, providing a hydrated, biocompatible environment for encapsulated cells while maintaining high levels of processability for extrusion-based printing. However, single-component hydrogels are often limited by their mechanical stability, structural fidelity, and biological functionality.

To address these challenges, multi-hydrogel systems—where different hydrogel components are combined—offer enhanced tunability, allowing the precise control of rheological behavior, crosslinking dynamics, and degradation kinetics. These hybrid hydrogel-based bioinks enhance the viability, structural integrity, and functional performance of cells, enabling them to be utilized in the engineering of complex tissues and organoids.

This Special Issue focuses on recent advances in multi-hydrogel formulations for 3D bioprinting, including novel bioink compositions, hybrid hydrogels, interpenetrating networks, and dynamic hydrogels with tunable stress relaxation properties. Studies that address mechanical characterization, biocompatibility, crosslinking strategies, and multi-material bioprinting approaches are encouraged. We also welcome contributions that investigate cell–biomaterial interactions, tissue regeneration applications, and the computational modelling of multi-hydrogel bioprinting.

We invite researchers working in the fields of biomaterials, bioengineering, and tissue fabrication to submit original research, reviews, and perspectives on this emerging topic.

Dr. Hatai Jongprasitkul
Prof. Dr. David A. Fulton
Dr. Vijay Singh Parihar
Guest Editors

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