Abstract

Analytical and AI Guided Design of Bioinks and 3D Bioprinted Scaffolds

Dimitria Bonizol Camasao, Senior Application Scientist, Rheolution

Formulating functional bioinks and optimizing 3D bioprinted scaffolds often involve time-consuming and costly trial and error approaches. The use of dedicated analytical testing instruments and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms may significantly accelerate these tasks. In this presentation, we will first introduce the ElastoSens^TM Bio, a nondestructive testing instrument that measures the viscoelasticity of soft biomaterials. We will highlight how its features can bring value to the 3D and 4D bioprinting process, from the formulation of bioinks to the design of bioprinted scaffolds and their time evolution with or without cells. We will then focus on two published cases to exemplify how this technology and AI are currently helping researchers. In the first work developed by a team from University of Victoria (BC), the ElastoSens^TM Bio was used to understand how the architecture of a scaffold produced through an extrusion-based printing affected its viscoelastic properties in terms of fiber size, porosity, pore shape, and bioink composition. In the second work, the testing instrument was used to build and validate an AI model able to predict the polymerization kinetics of a synthetic photocrosslinkable hydrogel (PEGDA). These unique and novel methodologies have the potential to accelerate research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, and their translation into clinical practices.