Bioprinting with Real-time Imaging and cell-biomaterial Density for Growth Enhancement

Objective

BRIDGE (Bioprinting with Real-time Imaging and cell-biomaterial Density for Growth Enhancement) wants to elevate 3D bioprinting with an unprecedented microfluidic-assisted approach for developing human skeletal tissue models, addressing gaps in control of the biofabrication deposition process, specifically cell-biomaterial density generation. Human tissues, such as bones, rely on graded cellular arrangements for physiological functions, yet mechanisms like mineralisation remain unclear due to inadequate models. Current 3D bioprinting techniques, typically dispense cells and materials at predefined single densities, but fail to replicate hierarchical, multicellular tissues, significantly hampering clinical advancements. BRIDGE seeks to overcome these limitations by integrating real-time monitoring and tuning of cellular/biomaterial (bioink) density properties during 3D bioprinting. A ground-breaking microfluidic printhead will be engineered to modulate (i) cell density for spatial arrangement control, (ii) biomaterial stirring to guide mineralisation, and (iii) cell-biomaterial imaging for real-time extrusion observation. This system will surpass existing 3D bioprinting technologies by enabling time-resolved imaging and dynamic manipulation of bioinks to prime hierarchical biological processes, such as mineralisation. Advancing the control of bioinks beyond existing approaches, BRIDGE will unveil biological mechanisms in two key studies: (i) the development of a model that recapitulates native mineralisation, cellular differentiation, and vascularisation in skeletal embryogenesis, and (ii) the fabrication of a diseased model to emulate pathological skeletal conditions (e.g., Paget’s disease), serving both regenerative and developmental research. By bridging microfluidics, optics, biomaterial science, and developmental biology, BRIDGE will revolutionize 3D bioprinting enabling closer investigation and control of the deposition process for tissue model fabrication.