Invited Paper IPF+AS+BI+NS-MoM5
Activation of Inkjet Printed Cells Enhances Microvasculature Formation in Host Tissues

Monday, October 22, 2018, 9:40 am, Room 101B

Bioprinting refers to the co-deposition of cells alongside scaffolding materials to build two- and three-dimensional constructs for tissue engineering applications. The technology faces several limitations that present interesting engineering opportunities. The nature and scope of the problems will be discussed in the context of the fabrication of microvasculature. The current tissue-engineering paradigm is that successfully engineered thick tissues must include vasculature. Studies of membrane properties of thermal inkjet printed cells by evaluating showed normal electrophysiology, but short-term membrane disruptions, which allow small molecular weight molecules to enter. Cell viability was high and apoptotic behavior was not upregulated. Alginate (1%) and gelatin type B (2.5%) constructs or scaffolds were prepared by bioprinting of a crosslinker with endothelial and endothelial / β cells. Control scaffolds were manually pipetted with the same cells and without any cells.Upon implantation the bioprinted endothelial cell constructs showed a nearly ten-fold increase in blood vessels was observed (p= 0.009), a dose response was observed but the β cells seemed to inhibit vessel formation. The explanted implants show large complete vascular features on the H&E and CD31 stains; Immunohistochemistry showed the tissue were regenerated with the human cells that made up a large part of the vasculature. Further insights into how the inkjet printing process activated endothelial cells will be presented. Understanding these processes will improve bioprinting and may eventually lead to creating fully vascularized large soft tissues, which have not been successfully grown thus far.