Biomatrices and biomaterials for future developments of bioprinting and biofabrication.

The next step beyond conventional scaffold-based tissue engineering is cell-based direct biofabrication techniques. In industrial processes, various three-dimensional (3D) prototype models have been fabricated using several different rapid prototyping methods, such as stereo-lithography, 3D printing and laser sintering, as well as others, in which a variety of chemical materials are utilized. However, with direct cell-based biofabrication, only biocompatible materials can be used, and the manufacturing process must be performed under biocompatible and physiological conditions. We have developed a direct 3D cell printing system using inkjet and gelation techniques with inkjet droplets, and found that it had good potential to construct 3D structures with multiple types of cells. With this system, we have used alginate and fibrin hydrogel materials, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. Herein, we discuss the roles of hydrogel for biofabrication and show that further developments in biofabrication technology with biomatrices will play a major part, as will developments in manufacturing technology. It is important to explore suitable biomatrices as the next key step in biofabrication techniques.

An unusual complication of a myocardial electrode--apatite mantle on the platinum-iridium spurs.

A case of a high excitation threshold that occurred 2 years 5 months after the initial implantation of pacemaker electrodes is described in a girl 4 years 3 months of age. This complication was considered to be due to calcification of the platinum-iridium electrode spurs. The calcified material was shown to be a kind of apatite using the X-ray powder diffraction method. This complication is rare, but it must be kept in mind since battery longevity has markedly improved in recent years.