Abstract
(Englisch)
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Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally. Efficient drug testing and disease models are needed to reduce theirdeath toll. Myocardial cell constructs, e.g. spheroids, organoids, or organs on a chip, hold promise as disease models and can reduceanimal testing. Unfortunately, cell constructs often lack the natural spatial complexity of their in-vivo counterparts, and consequentlythe cells remain immature and non-differentiated. Although, 3D printing offers great flexibility regarding the printed structure somelimitations apply: the printing process is either slow, or not suited for printing the small-scale nested structures needed to create viableand functional myocardial cell constructs. To 3D bio print viable myocardial cell constructs, we must therefore break through severalroadblocks limiting the potential of bioprinting. Our solution, coined SONOCRAFT, combines rapid volumetric 3D printing technologywith ultrasonic particle manipulation to create centimetre-long aligned cardiac constructs within hydrogels. An artificial vasculature,incorporated within the hydrogel matrix, assures perfusion with oxygen and nutrients. Acoustic particle manipulation our tool of choicefor cell manipulation as it is cheap, biocompatible, label-free and achieves the required resolution. To reach the objectives SonoPrint isequipped with a range of advanced features: (i) an acoustophoresis chamber for precise cell patterning in 3D; (ii) microfluidic nozzles forinjecting multiple cell types; (iii) moveable printheads for flexible cell deposition; (iv) a temperature-controlled cell culture incubator; and(v) full automation for user-friendly operation. The visionary SONOCRAFT holds potential to transform tissue engineering, regenerativemedicine, drug screening, and disease modelling with its technological breakthroughs overcoming current limitations in the field.
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