bims-biprem Biomed News
on Bioprinting for regenerative medicine
Issue of 2024–05–26
eleven papers selected by
Seerat Maqsood, University of Teramo



  1. Biomimetics (Basel). 2024 May 20. pii: 306. [Epub ahead of print]9(5):
      Cancer vasculogenesis is a pivotal focus of cancer research and treatment given its critical role in tumor development, metastasis, and the formation of vasculogenic microenvironments. Traditional approaches to investigating cancer vasculogenesis face significant challenges in accurately modeling intricate microenvironments. Recent advancements in three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technology present promising solutions to these challenges. This review provides an overview of cancer vasculogenesis and underscores the importance of precise modeling. It juxtaposes traditional techniques with 3D bioprinting technologies, elucidating the advantages of the latter in developing cancer vasculogenesis models. Furthermore, it explores applications in pathological investigations, preclinical medication screening for personalized treatment and cancer diagnostics, and envisages future prospects for 3D bioprinted cancer vasculogenesis models. Despite notable advancements, current 3D bioprinting techniques for cancer vasculogenesis modeling have several limitations. Nonetheless, by overcoming these challenges and with technological advances, 3D bioprinting exhibits immense potential for revolutionizing the understanding of cancer vasculogenesis and augmenting treatment modalities.
    Keywords:  3D bioprinting technology; cancer; cancer microenvironment; cancer modeling; vasculogenesis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics9050306
  2. Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 May 17. pii: S0141-8130(24)02928-3. [Epub ahead of print]270(Pt 2): 132123
      In tissue engineering, 3D printing represents a versatile technology employing inks to construct three-dimensional living structures, mimicking natural biological systems. This technology efficiently translates digital blueprints into highly reproducible 3D objects. Recent advances have expanded 3D printing applications, allowing for the fabrication of diverse anatomical components, including engineered functional tissues and organs. The development of printable inks, which incorporate macromolecules, enzymes, cells, and growth factors, is advancing with the aim of restoring damaged tissues and organs. Polysaccharides, recognized for their intrinsic resemblance to components of the extracellular matrix have garnered significant attention in the field of tissue engineering. This review explores diverse 3D printing techniques, outlining distinctive features that should characterize scaffolds used as ideal matrices in tissue engineering. A detailed investigation into the properties and roles of polysaccharides in tissue engineering is highlighted. The review also culminates in a profound exploration of 3D polysaccharide-based hydrogel applications, focusing on recent breakthroughs in regenerating different tissues such as skin, bone, cartilage, heart, nerve, vasculature, and skeletal muscle. It further addresses challenges and prospective directions in 3D printing hydrogels based on polysaccharides, paving the way for innovative research to fabricate functional tissues, enhancing patient care, and improving quality of life.
    Keywords:  3D printing; Hydrogels; Polysaccharides; Regenerative medicine; Tissue engineering
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132123
  3. Int J Prosthodont. 2024 Feb 21. 37(7): 209-219
       PURPOSE: The aim of this scoping review is to categorize 3D-printing applications of polymeric materials into those where there is evidence to support their clinical application and to list the clinical applications that require a greater evidence base or further development before adoption.
    MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic search on PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus (Elsevier), and Cochrane Library databases was conducted, including articles written in English and published between January 2003 and September 2023. The search terms were: ((3D printing) OR (3-dimensional printing) OR (three dimensional printing) OR (additive manufacturing)) AND ((polymer) OR (resin)) AND (dent*). Case reports, in vitro, in situ, ex vivo, or clinical trials focused on applications of 3D printing with polymers in dentistry were included. Review articles, systematic reviews, and articles comparing material properties without investigation on clinical application and performance/accuracy were excluded.
    RESULTS: The search provided 3,070 titles, and 969 were duplicates and removed. A total of 2,101 records were screened during the screening phase, and 1,628 records were excluded based on title/abstract. In the eligibility phase, of the 473 full-text articles assessed for eligibility, 254 articles were excluded. During the inclusion phase, a total of 219 studies were included in qualitative synthesis.
    CONCLUSIONS: There is lack of clinical evidence for the use of 3D-printing technologies in dentistry. Current evidence, when investigating clinical outcomes only, would indicate non-inferiority of 3D-printed polymeric materials for applications including diagnostic models, temporary prostheses, custom trays, and positioning/surgical guides/stents.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.11607/ijp.8829
  4. Curr Drug Deliv. 2024 May 22.
      
    Keywords:  3D printing; adherence to treatment; customized medicine; drug delivery; individualized dose; printed medicine
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2174/0115672018318133240520093550
  5. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 May 16. pii: 5414. [Epub ahead of print]25(10):
      The evaluation of nanostructured biomaterials and medicines is associated with 2D cultures that provide insight into biological mechanisms at the molecular level, while critical aspects of the tumor microenvironment (TME) are provided by the study of animal xenograft models. More realistic models that can histologically reproduce human tumors are provided by tissue engineering methods of co-culturing cells of varied phenotypes to provide 3D tumor spheroids that recapitulate the dynamic TME in 3D matrices. The novel approaches of creating 3D tumor models are combined with tumor tissue engineering (TTE) scaffolds including hydrogels, bioprinted materials, decellularized tissues, fibrous and nanostructured matrices. This review focuses on the use of nanostructured materials in cancer therapy and regeneration, and the development of realistic models for studying TME molecular and immune characteristics. Tissue regeneration is an important aspect of TTE scaffolds used for restoring the normal function of the tissues, while providing cancer treatment. Thus, this article reports recent advancements in the development of 3D TTE models for antitumor drug screening, studying tumor metastasis, and tissue regeneration. Also, this review identifies the significant opportunities of using 3D TTE scaffolds in the evaluation of the immunological mechanisms and processes involved in the application of immunotherapies.
    Keywords:  3D scaffolds; biomaterials; cancer; immunotherapy; tissue engineering
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25105414
  6. Adv Mater. 2024 May 22. e2314204
      Biological materials and organisms possess the fundamental ability to self-organize, through which different components are assembled from the molecular level up to hierarchical structures with superior mechanical properties and multifunctionalities. These complex composites inspire material scientists to design new engineered materials by integrating multiple ingredients and structures over a wide range. Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has advantages with respect to fabricating multiscale, and multi-material structures. The need for multifunctional materials is driving 3D printing techniques toward arbitrary 3D architectures with the next level of complexity. In this paper, we aim to highlight key features of those 3D printing techniques that can produce either multiscale or multimaterial structures, including innovations in printing methods, materials processing approaches, and hardware improvements. Several issues and challenges related to current methods are discussed. Ultimately, we also provide our perspective on how to realize the combination of multiscale and multimaterial capabilities in 3D printing processes and future directions based on emerging research. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
    Keywords:  additive manufacturing; extrusion‐based am; lightbased am; multimaterial 3d printing; multiscale 3d printing
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202314204
  7. Biophys Rev (Melville). 2024 Jun;5(2): 021304
      The natural habitat of most cells consists of complex and disordered 3D microenvironments with spatiotemporally dynamic material properties. However, prevalent methods of in vitro culture study cells under poorly biomimetic 2D confinement or homogeneous conditions that often neglect critical topographical cues and mechanical stimuli. It has also become increasingly apparent that cells in a 3D conformation exhibit dramatically altered morphological and phenotypical states. In response, efforts toward designing biomaterial platforms for 3D cell culture have taken centerstage over the past few decades. Herein, we present a broad overview of biomaterials for 3D cell culture and 3D bioprinting, spanning both monolithic and granular systems. We first critically evaluate conventional monolithic hydrogel networks, with an emphasis on specific experimental requirements. Building on this, we document the recent emergence of microgel-based 3D growth media as a promising biomaterial platform enabling interrogation of cells within porous and granular scaffolds. We also explore how jammed microgel systems have been leveraged to spatially design and manipulate cellular structures using 3D bioprinting. The advent of these techniques heralds an unprecedented ability to experimentally model complex physiological niches, with important implications for tissue bioengineering and biomedical applications.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0188268
  8. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2024 May 19.
      Breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a pivotal role in therapy resistance and tumor relapse, emphasizing the need for reliable in vitro models that recapitulate the complexity of the CSC tumor microenvironment to accelerate drug discovery. We present a bioprinted breast CSC tumor-stroma model incorporating triple-negative breast CSCs (TNB-CSCs) and stromal cells (human breast fibroblasts), within a breast-derived decellularized extracellular matrix bioink. Comparison of molecular signatures in this model with different clinical subtypes of bioprinted tumor-stroma models unveils a unique molecular profile for artificial CSC tumor models. We additionally demonstrate that the model can recapitulate the invasive potential of TNB-CSC. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering imaging allowed us to monitor the invasive potential of tumor cells in deep z-axis planes, thereby overcoming the depth-imaging limitations of confocal fluorescence microscopy. As a proof-of-concept application, we conducted high-throughput drug testing analysis to assess the efficacy of CSC-targeted therapy in combination with conventional chemotherapeutic compounds. The results highlight the usefulness of tumor-stroma models as a promising drug-screening platform, providing insights into therapeutic efficacy against CSC populations resistant to conventional therapies.
    Keywords:  3D bioprinting; SERS; cancer stem cells; triple-negative breast cancer; tumor microenvironment
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c04135
  9. J Clin Med. 2024 May 18. pii: 2977. [Epub ahead of print]13(10):
      Background: Three-dimensional (3D) printing is becoming increasingly popular around the world not only in engineering but also in the medical industry. This trend is visible, especially in aortic modeling for both training and treatment purposes. As a result of advancements in 3D technology, patients can be offered personalized treatment of aortic lesions via physician-modified stent grafts (PMSG), which can be tailored to the specific vascular conditions of the patient. The objective of this systematic review was to investigate the utility of 3D printing in PMSG in aortic lesion repair by examining procedure time and complications. Methods: The systematic review has been performed using the PRISMA 2020 Checklist and PRISMA 2020 flow diagram and following the Cochrane Handbook. The systematic review has been registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews: CRD42024526950. Results: Five studies with a total number of 172 patients were included in the final review. The mean operation time was 249.95± 70.03 min, and the mean modification time was 65.38 ± 10.59 min. The analysis of the results indicated I2 of 99% and 100% indicating high heterogeneity among studies. The bias assessment indicated the moderate quality of the included research. Conclusions: The noticeable variance in the reviewed studies' results marks the need for larger randomized trials as clinical results of 3D printing in PMSG have great potential for patients with aortic lesions in both elective and urgent procedures.
    Keywords:  3D printing; AAA; FEVAR; PMSG; TEVAR
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13102977
  10. Int J Prosthodont. 2024 Feb 21. 37(7): 159-164
      To explore the applications of 3D printing for the fabrication of complete dentures, a literature search was conducted using PubMed to identify articles related to the topic of 3D-printed complete dentures. A search was conducted that included the following keywords: digital complete denture workflow, printed complete denture, additive manufacturing complete denture, digital complete denture, CAD/CAM complete denture. Articles published before 2016 were excluded to increase the relevancy of reporting results. Determining how 3D-printed dentures compare to conventional and milled dentures is important to better understand how they can be used clinically. Material strength, color stability, and denture base adaptation are discussed. Currently, the area of greatest innovation is with printing resins and improving physical and esthetic properties. As with every innovation, multiple generations of materials are created before the gold standard is achieved. While the ideal printed denture material does not currently exist, based on the published research, printed dentures have material strength that meets ISO standards, with denture base adaptation similar to conventionally processed dentures. Clinically, it is likely that printed dentures will have more challenges with fractures, color stability, and staining. However, printed dentures offer many benefits, and the current limitations will be addressed as new materials are developed. We are currently at the beginning of what is an exciting future for printed dentures.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.11607/ijp.8832
  11. Med Eng Phys. 2024 Jun;pii: S1350-4533(24)00074-2. [Epub ahead of print]128 104173
      Mass transport properties within three-dimensional (3D) scaffold are essential for tissue regeneration, such as various fluid environmental cues influence mesenchymal stem cells differentiation. Recently, 3D printing has been emerging as a new technology for scaffold fabrication by controlling the scaffold pore geometry to affect cell growth environment. In this study, the flow field within scaffolds in a perfusion system was investigated with uniform structures, single gradient structures and complex gradient structures using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The CFD results from those uniform structures indicate the fluid velocity and fluid shear stress within the scaffold structure increased as the filament diameter increasing, pore width decreasing, pore shape decreased from 90° to 15°, and layer configuration changing from lattice to stagger structure. By assembling those uniform structure as single gradient structures, it is noted that the fluid dynamic characterisation within the scaffold remains the same as the corresponding uniform structures. A complex gradient structure was designed to mimic natural osteochondral tissue by assembly the uniform structures of filament diameter, pore width, pore shape and layer configuration. The results show that the fluid velocity and fluid shear stress within the complex gradient structure distribute gradually increasing and their maximum magnitude were from 1.15 to 3.20 mm/s, and from 12 to 39 mPa, respectively. CFD technique allows the prediction of velocity and fluid shear stress within the designed 3D gradient scaffolds, which would be beneficial for the tissue scaffold development for interfacial tissue engineering in the future.
    Keywords:  Computational fluid dynamics; Gradient structure; Pore geometry; Tissue scaffolds
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medengphy.2024.104173