Researchers at Queen Mary University of London, University of Oxford, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, have developed an unusual way to print complex biological structures with multiple ingredients that can harness further tissue growth. The 3D structures that are created are made of modular components that can be brought together in specific concentrations and locations.
The technique is actually self-assembling, using liquid currents to bring things together. Computers are certainly used to predict how droplets come together and form shapes. The result is precision control at different scales while keeping the cells in the ink alive during the printing process and afterwards.
Because cells, peptides, proteins, and other components can be brought together in different ratios, the structures can have varying physical properties, such as strength and flexibility, depending on the application they’d be used in.
Here’s a short video demonstrating the printing process:
Study in Advanced Functional Materials: Hydrodynamically Guided Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Peptide–Protein Bioinks…