Towards Single-Step Biofabrication of Organs on a Chip via 3D Printing

Stephanie Knowlton; Bekir Yenilmez; Savas Tasoglu

doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2016.06.005

Towards Single-Step Biofabrication of Organs on a Chip via 3D Printing

Trends Biotechnol. 2016 Sep;34(9):685-688. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2016.06.005. Epub 2016 Jul 13.

Authors

Stephanie Knowlton¹, Bekir Yenilmez², Savas Tasoglu³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, 260 Glenbrook Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
² Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut, 191 Auditorium Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
³ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, 260 Glenbrook Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut, 191 Auditorium Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA. Electronic address: savas@engr.uconn.edu.

PMID: 27424152
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2016.06.005

Abstract

Organ-on-a-chip engineering employs microfabrication of living tissues within microscale fluid channels to create constructs that closely mimic human organs. With the advent of 3D printing, we predict that single-step fabrication of these devices will enable rapid design and cost-effective iterations in the development stage, facilitating rapid innovation in this field.

Keywords: 3D printing; biofabrication; bioprinting; microfluidics.; organ-on-a-chip; tissue engineering.

MeSH terms

Animals
Bioprinting* / instrumentation
Bioprinting* / methods
Cell Culture Techniques* / instrumentation
Cell Culture Techniques* / methods
Humans
Lab-On-A-Chip Devices*
Printing, Three-Dimensional / instrumentation*
Tissue Engineering* / instrumentation
Tissue Engineering* / methods