Recent advances in bioprinting techniques: approaches, applications and future prospects

Abstract

Bioprinting technology shows potential in tissue engineering for the fabrication of scaffolds, cells, tissues and organs reproducibly and with high accuracy. Bioprinting technologies are mainly divided into three categories, inkjet-based bioprinting, pressure-assisted bioprinting and laser-assisted bioprinting, based on their underlying printing principles. These various printing technologies have their advantages and limitations. Bioprinting utilizes biomaterials, cells or cell factors as a "bioink" to fabricate prospective tissue structures. Biomaterial parameters such as biocompatibility, cell viability and the cellular microenvironment strongly influence the printed product. Various printing technologies have been investigated, and great progress has been made in printing various types of tissue, including vasculature, heart, bone, cartilage, skin and liver. This review introduces basic principles and key aspects of some frequently used printing technologies. We focus on recent advances in three-dimensional printing applications, current challenges and future directions.

Keywords: 3D bioprinting; Artificial organs; Tissue engineering.

Fig. 1

General 3D bioprinting technical route

Fig. 2

Common types of bioprinting methods. a Thermal inkjet-based bioprinting technology utilizes an electric current pulse that impulses the thin film resistor, then generates bubbles that create a pressure pulse that propels the ink droplet onto the substrates. b A piezoelectric transducer creates a pulse that creates transient pressure, resulting in droplet ejection. c Pressure-assisted bioprinting uses solutions, pastes, or dispersions as biomaterials, which are extruded by pressure in the form of a continuous filament through a microscale nozzle orifice or a microneedle. d Laser-associated bioprinting consists of three parts: a pulsed laser source, a ribbon and a receiving substrate. The lasers irradiate the ribbon, causing the liquid biological materials to evaporate and reach the receiving substrate in droplet form

Fig. 3

The applications of bioprinting range from the molecular level to organ level