Volumetric Additive Manufacturing for Cell Printing: Bridging Industry Adaptation and Regulatory Frontiers

Abstract

Volumetric additive manufacturing (VAM) is revolutionizing the field of cell printing by enabling the rapid creation of complex three-dimensional cellular structures that mimic natural tissues. This paper explores the advantages and limitations of various VAM techniques, such as holographic lithography, digital light processing, and volumetric projection, while addressing their suitability across diverse industrial applications. Despite the significant potential of VAM, challenges related to regulatory compliance and scalability persist, particularly in the context of bioprinted tissues. In India, the lack of clear regulatory guidelines and intellectual property protections poses additional hurdles for companies seeking to navigate the evolving landscape of bioprinting. This study emphasizes the importance of collaboration among industry stakeholders, regulatory agencies, and academic institutions to establish tailored frameworks that promote innovation while ensuring safety and efficacy. By bridging the gap between technological advancement and regulatory oversight, VAM can unlock new opportunities in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, transforming patient care and therapeutic outcomes.

Keywords: Volumetric additive manufacturing; additive manufacturing; light-based printing; tomography.

Figure 1

Overview of VAM: Materials and regulations.

Figure 2

VirtualVAM simulates Reaction and Diffusion in all Voxels in VAM A) Schematic of tomographic VAM with orthogonal Schlieren imaging setup used in this work, along with a schematic of the VirtualVAM simulation framework with associated CT projections, illustrative geometry, and data extraction, B) Slice of the multiscale voxelization used in VirtualVAM simulations and plot of voxel size in the domain along the vial diameter, C) Photopolymerization reactions and mass transfer modeled in each voxel in the simulations, the equations for these effects are given in the Polymerization Reaction and Transport Section. Rights and permission from under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND license,.

Figure 3

a) Additive beam superposition optics configuration and system schematic. b–g) Examples of printed parts using this light dosage method. Scale bars 2 mm [Shusteff et al., ref (9)]. (Figure reused under Creative commons license).

Figure 4

a) Subtractive light superposition optics configuration and system schematic, demonstrating perpendicular blue and near-UV irradiation of the developed resin. b) Example of the printed part using this light dosage method [Vander Laan et al. 2019, REF].

Figure 5

Experimental setup for high-resolution tomographic printing (Loterie et al. 2020, ref (7)) (Figure reused under Creative commons license).

Figure 6

a) étendue-limited optical resolution. b) Experimental measurement points on-axis (blue circle), at midfield, (red square) and edge of field (yellow triangle) of the modulation transfer function (MTF) in the build volume of our tomographic printer. c) Experimental MTF as a function of the spatial frequency 8 mm ahead of the focal plane, d) at focus and e) 8 mm after focus. The error bars represent the standard deviation of five repeated measurements at a point at the edge-of-field point at focus, and the error value for the other points were assumed to be the same (see Supplementary Note 3) (Loterie et al. 2020, ref no 7) (Figure reused under Creative commons license)

Figure 7

a) Photograph, b) micro-CT rendering, c) micro-CT cross-section, and d) original model for Notre-Dame. A video recording of the printing of Notre Dame is available as Supplementary Movie 3. e) Photograph, f) micro-CT rendering, g) micro-CT cross-section, and h) original model for 3DBenchy. Scale bars: 5 mm. In the inset of a) the scale bar is 1 mm. In the inset of c) the scale bar is 0.5 mm (Loterie et al. 2020, ref no 7) (Figure reused under Creative commons license).

Figure 8

a Video snapshot during the printing of the artery without feedback. b Micro-CT scan of the printed artery (without feedback), rendered with transparency to show the occlusions. c Photograph of the printed artery (without feedback) perfused with a red dye, to visualize the open channels. d–f Corresponding data for the artery printed with feedback. g Digital model of the printed artery. A comparative video recording of the artery prints is available as Supplementary Movie 4. h Video snapshot, (i) micro-CT rendering, and j photograph of the hearing aid model without feedback. k–m Corresponding data for the hearing aid with feedback. n Hearing aid model. i and l show the deviation of the printed parts with respect to the digital model n, as measured by the micro-CT. The scale bars are 5 mm (Loterie et al. 2020, ref no 7) (Figure reused under Creative commons license)

Figure 9

Different tomographic VAM. a Conventional tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing. b Tomographic volumetric helical additive manufacturing. Rights and permission fromhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Figure 10

Applications of VAM.