Development of New Polymers for Biofabrication: Hydrogels For 3D Printing and Resins for DLP
Matthew Baker,
Assistant Professor,
Maastricht University
Biofabrication methods provide great potential to go beyond 2D tissue engineering towards 3D functional tissues and organs for application in regenerative medicine strategies. However, despite this promise, the library of materials suitable for fabrication strategies remains relatively small and poorly customizable. Towards expanding the materials and strategies for biofabrication, two examples of customized polymers will be presented. Firstly, in order to facilitate 3D bioprinting of cell laden constructs, we have recently developed a synthetically modified alginate based “bioink” that can support cell growth, proliferation, and the extrusion based fabrication of 3D structures via light activated thiol-ene conjugations. This hydrogel’s material properties can be rationally tuned and can support the creation of constructs with multifunctional bioactive cues. Secondly, a simple example of customized resins for digital light processing (DLP) of culture environments and biofabricated objects will be presented. These poly(ester)urethane acrylate resins provide control over the mechanical properties and cell adhesion of the fabricated construct, while allowing high-fidelity feature production. Both platforms presented are developed towards the future creation of dynamic and stimuli-responsive 3D constructs aimed at investigating the effect of material and construct dynamics on engineered tissues.
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