Intro to 3D Bioprinting: Design, Applications and Limitations
The heavily used $200,000 bioprinter in the Peirce-Cottler Lab at the University of Virginia’s Department of Biomedical Engineering.Copyright 2017 Hunter Sheldon, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia
Students learn about the current applications and limitations of 3D bioprinting, as well as its amazing future potential. This lesson, and its fun associated activity, provides a unique way to review and explore concepts such as differing cell functions, multicellular organism complexity, and engineering design steps. As introduced through a PowerPoint® presentation, students learn about three different types of bioprinters, with a focus on the extrusion model. Then they learn the basics of tissue engineering and the steps to design printed tissues. This background information prepares students to conduct the associated activity in which they use mock-3D bioprinters composed of a desktop setup that uses bags of icing to “bioprint” replacement skin, bone and muscle for a fictitious trauma patient, Bill. A pre/post-quiz is also provided.
3D bioprinting is a novel engineer-created technology that enables scientists and researchers to print functional tissues, layer by layer. This printed tissue contains two parts: the cells and the unique mixture of fibers that form the structure and shape. While 3D bioprinting cannot yet provide “organs at the push of a button,” engineers and researchers at the forefront of this new technology are making progress in optimizing printing parameters and machine components. The challenge is in fully understanding and then replicating—at the micro scale—intricate and functional features such as blood vessels and complex shapes. It will be future engineers who continue to improve the technology for human application.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Explain what 3D bioprinting is and the importance of the technology.
- Name the different parts of an extrusion 3D bioprinter and describe their functions.
- Describe the current applications and limitations of 3D bioprinting.
- Identify key characteristics that make certain types of cells and extracellular matrix components suitable for specific 3D bioprinting applications.
- Explain how engineers currently apply what they know about tissue engineering to the design of functional printed tissues.