On April 26, the Degenerative Center of the Institute of Advanced Technology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shenzhen, led by researcher Ruan Changshun, published their latest research in Nature Communications.
Inspired by the pumping action of the heart, the research team proposed a novel mechanical-assisted strategy called "Bio-3D Printing Plus." Initially, they utilized 3D printing technology to create a hollow fiber hydrogel scaffold (HHS) with mechanical responsiveness and large, intricate structures. Subsequently, they leveraged the scaffold's mechanical properties to achieve rapid, uniform, precise, and cell-friendly loading. The cell-loaded scaffold obtained through this strategy effectively promoted the repair and functional reconstruction of difficult-to-heal bone defects.
This strategy effectively addresses the challenge of balancing cell viability and scaffold mechanical stability in the current extrusion-based bio-3D printing process. It ensures the precision of 3D printing technology while maintaining a high cell survival rate, offering new insights for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
In this study, the team successfully constructed a highly adjustable hollow hydrogel scaffold using a "one-step" 3D printing technique with coaxial nozzles and without support conditions. The scaffold can rapidly recover under a compression strain of up to 80% and maintain its integrity even after 10,000 compression cycles.
Furthermore, the scaffold exhibits mechanical responsiveness, allowing control of its response behavior through compression strain and cycle numbers. Under mechanical stimulation, the HHS enables rapid, precise, and zonal loading of cells. Compared to static conditions, the number of cells loaded on the HHS increased by 13 times.
The "Bio-3D Printing Plus" strategy proposed in this research overcomes the limitation of bio-inks in bio-3D printing, enabling the construction of hydrogel scaffolds with both intact cells and excellent mechanical properties. As a proof of concept, cell-loaded HHS demonstrated enhanced regenerative capabilities in repairing segmental and osteoporotic bone defects in rats, offering new avenues for tissue regeneration and cell therapy.
For more information, refer to the related paper: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48023-8
