Abstract

Magnetic 3D Bioprinting for High-Throughput Drug Screening

Hubert Tseng, Sr. R&D Scientist, Nano3D Biosciences

A recently novel method, magnetic 3D bioprinting, is presented to rapidly print 3D tissue cultures for high-throughput screening. The basis of magnetic 3D bioprinting is the magnetization of cells using magnetic nanoparticles. After an overnight incubation, the magnetized cells can be manipulated and printed using magnetic forces. Cell aggregation with magnetic forces induces the endogenous synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM) within hours, thereby removing the need for an artificial protein substrate to mimic native tissue environments. Using this system, an assay was developed in which magnetized cells were printed into ring and dot shapes in 96-well plates in less than 1 h [1]. Both printed structures were found to close/shrink over time, in a manner that correlates with wound healing and cell migration and proliferation, and in a dose-dependent fashion. This process can be tracked macroscopically, and is done so using a mobile device-based imaging system, which improves the throughput and efficiency of testing. In one study, aortic vascular smooth muscle cells were printed into vascular rings to mimic vessel walls and test the effects of vasodilators and vasoconstrictors. Thus, the results of this assay demonstrate the ability of magnetic 3D bioprinting to rapidly print 3D tissue-like structures for drug screening.