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Review
. 2016 Sep 8;21(9):1188.
doi: 10.3390/molecules21091188.

Bioprinting and Differentiation of Stem Cells

Scott A Irvine  1 , Subbu S Venkatraman  2
Affiliations
Review

Bioprinting and Differentiation of Stem Cells

Scott A Irvine et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

The 3D bioprinting of stem cells directly into scaffolds offers great potential for the development of regenerative therapies; in particular for the fabrication of organ and tissue substitutes. For this to be achieved; the lineage fate of bioprinted stem cell must be controllable. Bioprinting can be neutral; allowing culture conditions to trigger differentiation or alternatively; the technique can be designed to be stimulatory. Such factors as the particular bioprinting technique; bioink polymers; polymer cross-linking mechanism; bioink additives; and mechanical properties are considered. In addition; it is discussed that the stimulation of stem cell differentiation by bioprinting may lead to the remodeling and modification of the scaffold over time matching the concept of 4D bioprinting. The ability to tune bioprinting properties as an approach to fabricate stem cell bearing scaffolds and to also harness the benefits of the cells multipotency is of considerable relevance to the field of biomaterials and bioengineering.

Keywords: 3D bioprinting; bioinks; differentiation; lineage commitment; stem cells.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagram demonstrating interplay of the factors and variables involved in the 3D bioprinting and differentiation of stem cells as discussed in this article.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A representation of the extrusion bioprinting of stem cells. A stem cell bearing bioink is forced from a syringe reservoir and deposited as an extended trace on the collection plate.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A representation of inkjet bioprinting of stem cell. Droplets of a stem cell bearing bioink are formed from the reservoir by the action of a piezoelectric (a) or thermal actuator (b) to be deposited on a collection plate.
Figure 4
Figure 4
A representation of laser assisted bioprinting of stem cells. The laser absorbing layer is stimulated by the laser pulse to generate a pressure bubble, thus propelling the stem cells onto the collector slide.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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