RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Fast 3D printing of large-scale biocompatible hydrogel models
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2020.10.22.345660
DO 10.1101/2020.10.22.345660
A1 Nanditha Anandakrishnan
A1 Hang Ye
A1 Zipeng Guo
A1 Zhaowei Chen
A1 Kyle I. Mentkowski
A1 Jennifer K. Lang
A1 Nika Rajabian
A1 Stelios T. Andreadis
A1 Zhen Ma
A1 Joseph A. Spernyak
A1 Jonathan F. Lovell
A1 Depeng Wang
A1 Jun Xia
A1 Chi Zhou
A1 Ruogang Zhao
YR 2020
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/10/22/2020.10.22.345660.abstract
AB Large scale cell-laden hydrogel models hold great promise for tissue repair and organ transplantation, but their fabrication is faced with challenges in achieving clinically-relevant size and hierarchical structures. 3D bioprinting is an emerging technology, but its application in large, solid hydrogel fabrication has been limited by the slow printing speed that can affect the part quality and the biological activity of the encapsulated cells. Here we present a Fast hydrogeL prOjection stereolithogrAphy Technology (FLOAT) that allows the creation of a centimeter-sized, multiscale solid hydrogel model within minutes. Through precisely controlling the photopolymerization condition, we established low suction force-driven, high-velocity flow of the hydrogel prepolymer that supports the continuous replenishment of the prepolymer solution below the curing part and the nonstop part growth. We showed that this process is unique to the hydrogel prepolymer without externally supplemented oxygen. The rapid printing of centimeter-sized hydrogel models using FLOAT was shown to significantly reduce the part deformation and cellular injury caused by the prolonged exposure to the environmental stresses in layer-by-layer based printing methods. Media perfusion in the printed vessel network was shown to promote cell survival and metabolic function in the deep core of the large-sized hydrogel model over long term. The FLOAT is compatible with multiple photocurable hydrogel materials and the printed scaffold supports the endothelialization of prefabricated vascular channels. Together, these studies demonstrate a rapid 3D hydrogel printing method and highlight the potential of this method in the fabrication of large-sized engineered tissue models.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.