Abstract

3D Bioprinting of Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Will Shu, Professor, University of Strathclyde

In recent years, the use of a simple inkjet technology for cell printing has triggered tremendous interest in the field of biofabrication. A key challenge has been the development of printing processes which are both controllable and less harmful, in order to preserve cell and tissue viability and functions. In this talk, I will present the development of a valve-based cell printer that has been validated to print highly viable and functional human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Both scaffold based (using hydrogel materials) and scaffold-free (using hanging droplet technique) approaches will be discussed. This work demonstrates that the valve-based printing process is gentle enough to maintain stem cell viability, accurate enough to produce spheroids of uniform size and cell-containing hydrogel structures, and that printed cells maintain their pluripotency. In addition, our recent work on printing hESC-derived liver tissues for animal-free drug testing applications will be presented.