3D printing of cell-laden constructs for heterogeneous tissue regeneration

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) printing of relevant components of tissue, such as cells and matrix material, has been used for fabrication of tissue analogs. However, fabrication using existing cell printing systems is difficult for printing of tissues with complex shapes and compositions. In this study, we successfully printed 3D cell-laden constructs using the principle of hybrid structure fabrication. A sacrificial layer process, in combination with current 3D printing technology, was used to fabricate complex shaped tissues. We demonstrated practicality of using 3D printing to fabricate cell-laden constructs, where cells were localized as intended. The cell viability of the fabricated constructs was high.