Dynamic Peptide-folding Bioink Allows Cells to Survive and Thrive

A research group led by Daniel Aili at  Linköping University developed a bioink that would allow 3D—and 4D—printing of material that mimics tissue. The results were published in Biofabrication.

The team solved one of the major challenges faced when printing organic material: the material and methods developed allow for cells to survive and thrive. “It has been a major problem to develop a material that can encapsulate the cells and be used in printers. Our bioink has several exciting properties that open new opportunities to approach our vision—creating tissue and organs in the laboratory", says Aili. 

Their methodology included the development of a dynamic peptide-folding mediated ink bound together by hydrogels, mimicking the extracellular matrix. "We can use some advanced chemical techniques to control how rapidly the hydrogel forms, in other words, the transition from liquid to a gel that gently encapsulates the cells,” Aili adds.

The modular system can be used with different components to create variants of the hydrogel, which provides mechanical support for the cells. The ability to modify the properties of the bioink allows for the incorporation of different functionalities. Aili concludes, "Our work is quite basic research, but we are aware that there is a huge medical need for tissue, and for better and biologically relevant models for drug development, not least as a replacement for animal experiments. Progress is rapid in this field at the moment.”