Abstract

Engineering Functional Human Tissue Using FRESH 3D Bioprinting

Adam Feinberg, Associate Professor, Carnegie Mellon University

At FluidForm we are working to expand 3D bioprinting from a niche technology and into a versatile platform for fabricating functional human tissues with complex geometries and features ranging from the cellular to organ length scales. We are different because we are addressing limitations with current approaches with a specific focus on improving the structure and function of the engineered tissue constructs. To do this, we have developed novel biofabrication approaches focused on building extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds that mimic the structure and composition of the heart and other tissues and organs. Termed Freeform Reversible Embedding of Suspended Hydrogels (FRESH), we can 3D bioprint collagen, fibrin, decellularized ECM, growth factors, and a wide range of cell types into complex 3D architectures. This includes using FRESH to create small heart muscle constructs as a predictive model of cardiac electrophysiology all the way to large, organ-scale constructs based on patient-specific MRI scans that incorporate functional arteries and valves within full-size, whole hearts. Our focus at FluidForm is driving these applications into pharma and the clinic and extending these approaches to additional tissue and organ systems for in vitro disease modeling and in vivo regeneration.