Bioprinting
In the bioprinting and biofabrication lab, we develop and fabricate three-dimensional biological and polymer-based constructs for applications in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and advanced in vitro models. We combine additive manufacturing technologies with cell-compatible materials (bioinks) to create structurally and biologically relevant systems. Depending on the application, we tailor printing strategies, materials, and processing parameters to ensure optimal resolution, mechanical stability, and biological performance.
Our facility provides access to several state-of-the-art fabrication platforms, each optimized for specific materials and structural requirements:
The hydrogel bioprinter from Brinter is specifically designed for extrusion-based bioprinting of soft, cell-laden hydrogels. It enables precise deposition of bioinks such as alginate, gelatin, collagen, fibrin, and synthetic polymer hydrogels under mild conditions compatible with living cells. The system allows multi-material printing and gradient structures, making it suitable for fabricating tissue-like constructs, scaffolds for cell culture, and bioactive models for biological studies.
The filament printer is used for printing thermoplastic polymers such as PLA, PCL, or composite filaments. This technique is particularly suited for producing mechanically stable scaffolds, molds, holders, and supporting structures for bioprinting applications. Filament-based printing allows precise control over pore size, geometry, and mechanical properties, which is critical for load-bearing scaffolds and long-term structural support.
SLA printing enables high-resolution fabrication using photo-crosslinkable resins. A focused light source selectively cures liquid resin layer by layer, allowing the production of complex and finely detailed structures. In biofabrication, SLA is commonly used for creating microstructured scaffolds, molds, microfluidic devices, and templates with excellent surface quality and dimensional accuracy.
Electrospinning is used to fabricate nano- to microscale fibrous mats that mimic the fibrous architecture of the extracellular matrix. By applying a high-voltage electric field to polymer solutions or melts, continuous fibers are generated and deposited as non-woven meshes. Electrospun scaffolds are particularly valuable for cell adhesion studies, tissue regeneration, wound healing applications, and as functional layers combined with 3D-printed constructs.