Advancing Bone Tissue Engineering: Biologically Active Bioinks for On-Demand Microvascularized Bone Biofabrication

Objective

Bone defects resulting from trauma, and pathological conditions compromise skeletal structure and function, leading to reduced mobility, diminished quality of life, and substantial global healthcare costs. Understanding and addressing these conditions requires reliable and sustainable 3D in vitro models of healthy and diseased bone tissue to advance knowledge of bone biology and develop new treatments; however, the inherent complexity of bone microcapillary architecture and biology has long hindered their development. To overcome this, MiVasBone project, proposes a pioneering bone-vascularized tissue-engineered platform that integrates advanced bioengineering strategies to replicate physiologically relevant bone environments. The approach combines microfluidics, 3D bioprinting, and multifunctional degradable hydrogel networks to generate vascularized bone models. A central innovation is the bioprinting of degradable osteoblast-laden liquid-core microcapsules, which serve as modular units forming microchannel networks replicating native vascular branching patterns, enhancing cellular viability, nutrient delivery, and tissue integration. By merging biomaterials science, biofabrication, and cell biology within a multidisciplinary framework, MiVasBone will provide transformative insights into bone-vascular biology, accelerate novel therapeutic development, and establish robust platforms for translational research, including drug testing and disease modeling. Leveraging world-class facilities at USFD and guided by Profs. Frederik Claeyssens and Gwendolen Reilly, and Dr. Mehdi Khanmohammadi, the project ensures expert training in material science, biofabrication and tissue engineering. This two-way knowledge transfer guarantees research excellence while advancing the Fellow’s career. Success will deliver substantial health and societal benefits for the EU/worldwide by establishing advanced in vitro platforms for drug discovery and improving therapies for bone diseases.