Bioink Design and Characterization
Printing evaluation of new customizable bioinks for 3D bioprinting applications
Innovative biomaterials are necessary to create bioink suitable for bioprinting that is rapidly adopted by pharmaceutical industry and research labs for drug testing and tissue engineering. Our project proposes for the first time a library of customizable hybrid inks with biochemical and mechanical properties tunable on the basis of the interest tissue, e.g., lung, colon, and skin. The project aims to transfer a preliminary bioink formulation to a ready-to-market biomaterial, assessing: 1) printability and shape fidelity; 2) biological compatibility with different cellular lines; 3) scale-up of the manufacturing process to sustain high-volume production; 4) storage and stability studies.
Collaborations
- L. Russo – Dept. of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca
Engineering Living Material through Synthetic Biology and bacteria Bioprinting
This activity focuses on the use of Synthetic Biology techniques combined with Bioprinting to create engineering living materials (ELMs).
Our project started with the realization of an innovative bacterial printing setup to obtain biosensors of hormones and antibiotics, and an actuator that produces a polymer helpful in bioremediation. The results are promising, and future studies will focus on improving cell viability, quantifying heavy metals removal, and proposing biocontainment strategies for a safe use in the environment. Taken together, these two types of materials could represent a new generation of biodegradable, user friendly, reproducible devices to aid in toxic substances detection or valuable biomolecules production.
Collaborations
- L. Pasotti, F. Usai, P. Magni – BMS Lab, University of Pavia