Abstract

Digital Biomanufacturing and Advanced Bioinks Enable 3D/4D Bioprinting

William G Whitford, Strategic Solutions Leader, GE Healthcare Life Sciences

Synergies in bioprinting are appearing from individual researchers focusing on divergent aspects of the technology.  Many are now evolving from simple mono-dimensional operations to model-controlled multi-material, interpenetrating networks using multi-modal deposition techniques.  Bioinks are being designed to address numerous critical process parameters.  These bioink parameters include such structural material characteristics as supramolecular chemistries, biological considerations as cell nutritional requirements and physical properties as plastic flow and hydrodynamic force.  These factors, combined with advances in artificial intelligence, automation and robotics, are evolving our concept of bioprinting in general.  Such digital biomanufacturing concepts as increased monitoring, data handling, connectivity, computer power, control algorithms and automation promise new advances including real-time optimization of the printing process.  The IIoT, Big Data and the Cloud complement such initiatives as Lean PPD, SCADA and DCS to advance our process control capabilities.  In digitally biomanufactured tissue constructs both the cellular constructs and architectural design for any necessary vascular component in is being addressed.  More and higher quality data are being collected and analysis is becoming richer.  This information management and model generation is now describing a “process network” promising more efficient use of both locally and imported raw data and supporting accelerated decision making.  Soon we will see real-time optimization of the immediate bioprinting bioprocess based on such high value criteria as instantaneous progress assessment and comparison to previous activities.

Co-authored with Eleanore Irvine.