A biofabrication method to align cells within bioprinted photocrosslinkable and cell-degradable hydrogel constructs via embedded fibers.

ABSTRACT: The extracellular matrix (ECM) is composed of biochemical and biophysical cues that control cell behaviors and bulk mechanical properties. For example, anisotropy of the ECM and cell alignment are essential in the directional properties of tissues such as myocardium, tendon, and the knee meniscus. Technologies are needed to introduce anisotropic behavior into biomaterial constructs that can be used for the engineering of tissues as models and towards translational therapies. To address this, we developed an approach to align hydrogel fibers within cell-degradable bioink filaments with extrusion printing, where shear stresses during printing align fibers and photocrosslinking stabilizes the fiber orientation. Suspensions of hydrogel fibers were produced through the mechanical fragmentation

SUBMITTER: Prendergast ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8603602 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature