Abstract

Engineered Hydrogels for 3D Printing Applications

Jason Burdick, Bowman Endowed Professor, University of Colorado Boulder

Our laboratory is interested in developing new biomaterials for 3D printing, as well as new printing processes to expand the utility of 3D printing in biomedical applications.  Hydrogels represent a class of biomaterials that have great promise for these applications, particularly due to our ability to engineer their biophysical and biochemical properties and the potential for cell encapsulation during printing.   This presentation will provide an overview of our approaches to advance the applications of hydrogels in 3D printing.  This includes the engineering of shear-thinning and self-healing hydrogels that can act as bioinks or as media for embedding printing technologies.  Further, we have developed both direct-curing and jammed microgel technologies to print hydrogels that do not meet the stringent requirements for current printing techniques.  These hydrogel systems are being explored in the engineering of in vitro models and for translational tissue repair applications.