ABSTRACT
The growing aging population, with its associated chronic diseases, underscores the urgency for effective tissue regeneration strategies. Biomaterials play a pivotal role in the realm of tissue reconstruction and regeneration, with a distinct shift toward minimally invasive (MI) treatments. This transition, fueled by engineered biomaterials, steers away from invasive surgical procedures to embrace approaches offering reduced trauma, accelerated recovery, and cost-effectiveness. In the realm of MI tissue repair and cargo delivery, various techniques are explored. While in situ polymerization is prominent, it is not without its challenges. This narrative review explores diverse biomaterials, fabrication methods, and biofunctionalization for injectable pre-formed scaffolds, focusing on their unique advantages. The injectable pre-formed scaffolds, exhibiting compressibility, controlled injection, and maintained mechanical integrity, emerge as promising alternative solutions to in situ polymerization challenges. The conclusion of this review emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary design facilitated by synergizing fields of materials science, advanced 3D biomanufacturing, mechanobiological studies, and innovative approaches for effective MI tissue regeneration.
ABSTRACT
Bioprinting has enabled the precise spatiotemporal deposition of cells and biomaterials, opening new avenues of research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Although several open-source syringe extruder adaptations for bioprinters have been published and adopted by end users, only one has been specifically adapted for the Ender series, an affordable and open-source line of thermoplastic 3D printers. Here, we introduce the Enderstruder, a cost-effective extruder attachment that uses a standard 10 mL BD syringe, positions the stepper motor at the level of the gantry, enhances x-axis stability with a linear rail, and uses the originally included stepper motor, resulting in reduced cost and simplified assembly. Furthermore, we present an iterative process to fine-tune printing profiles for high-viscosity biomaterial inks. To facilitate the implementation of our work by other researchers, we provide fully editable Cura profiles for five commonly used biomaterials. Using these five materials to validate and characterize our design, we employ the Enderstruder to print established calibration patterns and complex shapes. By presenting the Enderstruder and its iterative development process, this study contributes to the growing repository of open-source bioprinting solutions, fostering greater accessibility and affordability for researchers in tissue engineering.
