The term bioprinting describes a special form of 3D printing in which organic products are made. Well-known areas of application, some of which are still being tested, include medicine and the food industry. The pioneering goal of the medical sector is the layer-by-layer production of functional organs as a substitute for transplantation.
Table of contents
How does bioprinting work?
What does the detailed bioprinting process look like?
In what areas is bioprinting used?
What are the advantages of bioprinting for the medical industry?
What does the future hold for bioprinting?
What professions are involved in bioprinting?
How Brunel can support you in your next bioprinting project?
How does bioprinting work?
Bioprinting is based on the concept of producing three-dimensional objects layer by layer from organic substances. The principle is similar to traditional 3D printing, except that substances such as cell materials are used in place of traditional materials such as metal, plastic and polymer powder.
To produce a complex structure from basic organic materials, attention must be given to a whole series of parameters. For example, the temperature must not be too high, otherwise proteins will denature.
In somewhat simplified terms, the bioprinter is loaded with the "building materials", i.e. cells or the like, and uses them to build a complex, three-dimensional structure – such as a bodily organ – in accordance with a previously defined blueprint. As with industrial 3D printing, this is done through additive, layer-by-layer manufacturing.
What does the detailed bioprinting process look like?
"Construction planning" is the first step. This means that an exact scan of what is to be printed is made using imaging techniques. In the example of an organ, this would be an MRI scan, for example. A liquid is used to make other cellular structures transparent for better visualization. These structures are then scanned using a high-powered microscope and a laser scanner to create a highly accurate, three-dimensional computer model, which in turn serves as a blueprint for the subsequent printing process.
It is also necessary to multiply the cells of the target structure in a nutrient solution so that there is enough of the "building material" for the subsequent printing process. The cell material is then placed in a polymer gel. Layer by layer, the bioprinter then prints the cell-polymer mixture into the structure that was earlier defined as a model and fed into the printer as a template.
In what areas is bioprinting used?
The best-known examples are found in medicine, where researchers’ stated aim is to produce functional organs. Although the industry is not yet ready to produce functional body parts, prototypes have already been created through bioprinting. Back in 2019, scientists succeeded in printing a small human heart.
While joint implants from 3D printers have long been a reality, bioprinting could also herald a new era by producing prostheses from the body's own cells in the future.
Another area of application is the food industry. Also still in the experimental stage, researchers have already succeeded in printing meat from protein glue and muscle cells. Due to the immense costs, large-scale use is not yet possible. In the long term, however, bioprinting could make factory farming obsolete.
Biology also uses bioprinting for the production of and more precise research into tissues and organisms.