Abstract

Bioprinting in Regenerative Medicine and Beyond

Gabor Forgacs, Professor, University of Missouri-Columbia; Founder, Modern Meadow

Tissue engineering as a discipline and bioprinting, as a tool within this discipline are typically associated with regenerative medicine. However, if bioprinting or similar bioassembly methods can provide medical grade tissues they should be relevant whenever living tissues need to be constructed for specific applications. In this talk, first, we describe our earlier-developed bioprinting technology with successful applications in regenerative medicine and pharmacology. In particular, we discuss the fundamental biophysical and early morphogenetic processes that form the basis of the technology, introduce the notion of bioink and present specific applications of the method. We then show how the technology can be adapted to the resource-conscious, economically-friendly and ethical biomanufacturing of commodity animal products such as meat and leather. This Latter application is based on the recognition that for such products only parts of post-mortem tissues are needed, whose fully physiological versions, skin and muscle in this case, do not need to be reconstructed.