Precision printing of living biological cells

Living tissues can be constructed in vitro by 3D bioprinting of cells held in hydrogel solutions which are then cross-linked to form 3D geometries analogous to in vivo tissues. Signalling from cell- To-cell and microenvironment- To-cell interaction both effect cell behaviour and life cycle. Artificial cell containing constructs must mimic a sufficient level of the complexity of in vivo tissues to be useful in vitro models for drug testing and fundamental cell biology research. Further demands include maintaining cellular viability and functions during tissue construction while also minimising printing time, cells, cell culture media and reagents required. Our work involves interdisciplinary collaboration in the fields of bioengineering, stem cell biology, precision engineering and process control. Together we are building a high precision living cell printing system capable of rapidly constructing complex tissues in 3D. A number of highly sensitive cell types have been successfully printed including human pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes and hepatocyte-like cells. Cell printing, 2D & 3D constructs, plus a positioning mechanism were all complemented by diagnostics to give the building blocks needed for the manufacture of artificial biological screening models.