Advances in Bioprinting Techniques and Materials
A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomaterials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 3296
Special Issue Editor
2. Center for Synthetic Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
Interests: biofabrication and 3D-bioprinting technologies; regenerative medicine, in-vitro tissue models, and organs-on-a-chip; biorobotics and smart biosynthetic systems
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Bioprinting is an additive manufacturing process for the biofabrication of tissue-like, biological structures. Hydrogels loaded with living cells are printed using different dispensing mechanisms to reproduce the geometry and morphology of a three-dimensional virtual model.
The visionary idea of processing living cells using printing technology dates back to the beginning of the new millennium. From the initial use of modified desktop printers to highly sophisticated 3D/4D/XD platforms, the technologies have developed rapidly over the past two decades and gained attraction not only in the academic environment but also in industry and civil society.
Among the frequently cited advantages of bioprinting compared to classical tissue engineering processes are its high spatial resolution, the possibility of building multicellular and multi-material structures and the integration of blood vessels or supply channels, which are necessary for the production of comparatively thick tissue. A further advantage, which provided the original motivation for its development, is the high degree of automation and standardization bioprinting offers with the ultimate goal to upscale tissue production.
While biomedical aspects of bioprinting are frequently reported, we believe that the underlying technological advances that drive the latter merit a broader platform.
In this special edition we therefore encourage publication of original work related to recent progress in standardization, digitalization or automation of bioprinting hard- and software as well as the applied materials (bioinks).
We specifically welcome original research on:
- Fluid- and thermodynamic modelling of bioprinting processes,
- Gelation kinetics of bioinks,
- Novel dispensing technology as well as biofabrication related software and algorithms.
Furthermore, we encourage research on the development and process integration of:
- New sensor and actuator systems, such as pressure, vibration, temperature or optical sensors, in 3D-bioprinting systems,
- Multimaterial printer heads, new fluid transport mechanisms, and advanced biofabrication tools and tool changers,
- Modular printing platforms for printing onto self-loading substrates, microfluidic chips or into bioreactors systems.
Finally, biomedical applications that proof the automation, digitization or upscaling potential of bioprinting technology are highly appreciated.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Blaeser
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- bioprinting
- biomaterials
- bioinks
- organs-on-a-chip
- digitalization
- automation
- additive manufacturing
- bioproduction
- biofabrication
- tissue engineering
