Hybrid biomanufacturing systems applied in tissue regeneration

Abstract

Scaffold-based approach is a developed strategy in biomanufacturing, which is based on the use of temporary scaffold that performs as a house of implanted cells for their attachment, proliferation, and differentiation. This strategy strongly depends on both materials and manufacturing processes. However, it is very difficult to meet all the requirements, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, mechanical strength, and promotion of cell-adhesion, using only single material. At present, no single bioprinting technique can meet the requirements for tissue regeneration of all scales. Thus, multi-material and mixing-material scaffolds have been widely investigated. Challenges in terms of resolution, uniform cell distribution, and tissue formation are still the obstacles in the development of bioprinting technique. Hybrid bioprinting techniques have been developed to print scaffolds with improved properties in both mechanical and biological aspects for broad biomedical engineering applications. In this review, we introduce the basic multi-head bioprinters, semi-hybrid and fully-hybrid biomanufacturing systems, highlighting the modifications, the improved properties and the effect on the complex tissue regeneration applications.

Keywords: Additive biomanufacturing; Hybrid bioprinter; Scaffolds; Tissue regeneration.

Figure 1

Three main categories in additive biomanufacturing, including material jetting, (namely (A) inkjet bioprinting and (B) laser-assisted bioprinting), (C) material extrusion, and (D) vat photo polymerization.

Figure 2

Categories of hybrid biomanufacturing systems, including (A) basic multi-head biomanufacturing systems (BMBSs), (B) semi-hybrid multi-head biomanufacturing systems (SMBSs), and (C) fully-hybrid biomanufacturing systems (FBSs).

Figure 3

(A) The NovoGen MMX 3D Bioprinter (Organovo, San Diego, America). (B) A multi-nozzle low-temperature deposition and manufacturing (M-LDM) system with screw-driven piston actuated extruders[62], with permission from JOHN WILEY & SONS (publisher). (C) Multi-head deposition system (MHDS)[64], with permission from ELSEVIER BV (publisher). (D) 3D Bioplotter (EnvisonTEC). (E) Integrated tissue-organ printer (ITOP)[59], with permission from Nature Springer (publisher). (F) CAD/CAM process for automated printing of 3D shape imitating target tissue or organ using ITOP[59], with permission from Springer Nature (publisher). (G) A desktop multi-material biomanufacturing system[74], with permission from Springer Nature (publisher).

Figure 4

(A) Multi-head tissue/organ building system (MtoBS)[75], with permission from Institute of Physics Publishing (publisher). (B) Multi-arm bioprinter (MABP)[77], with permission from PERGAMON (publisher). (C) Bioscaffolder.

Figure 5

(A) 3D Discovery (RegenHU, Switzerland). (B) Multi-material cell-laden hydrogel constructs deposited with the layer-by-layer UV curing strategy[83], with permission from PLOS ONE (publisher). (C) Multi-material cage constructs (top view)[84], with permission from MARY ANN LIEBERT INC (publisher) (D) BioFactory (RegenHU, Switzerland). (E) Hybrid printing system shows the inkjet print head and the electrospinning print head[87], with permission from AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY (publisher). (F) Hybrid printing system combining the inkjet print head and the electrospinning print head[88], with permission from IOP Publishing (publisher). (G) SEM image of hybrid scaffolds printed with extrusion-based 3D printing and electrospinning technologies[89], with permission from Elsevier (publisher).