Page 302 - IJB-10-1

International

Journal of Bioprinting

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Development of a low-cost quad-extrusion

3D bioprinting system for multi-material tissue
constructs

Ralf Zgeib, Xiaofeng Wang, Ahmadreza Zaeri, Fucheng Zhang, Kai Cao, and
Robert C. Chang*
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken,
New Jersey, USA
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: 3D Bioprinting Hydrogels and Organ-On-Chip)

Abstract
This study presents the development and characterization of a low-cost bioprinting
system with a compact low-profile quad-extrusion bioprinting head for producing
multi-material tissue constructs. The system, created by modifying an off-the-
shelf three-dimensional (3D) printer, enables larger print volumes compared to
extant systems. Incorporating gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) as a bioink model, the
bioprinting system was systematically tested with two different printing techniques,
namely the traditional in-air printing (IAP) mode along with an emerging support
bath printing (SBP) paradigm. Structural fidelity was assessed by comparing printed
structures under different conditions to the computer-aided design (CAD) model.
To evaluate biological functionality, a placental model was created using HTR-8
trophoblasts known for their invasive phenotype. Biological assays of cell viability
and invasion revealed that the cells achieved high cell proliferation rates and had
*Corresponding author: over 93% cell viability for a 3-day incubation period. The multi-compartmental
Robert C. Chang
(rchang6@stevens.edu) 3D-bioprinted in vitro placenta model demonstrates the potential for studying native
cell phenotypes and specialized functional outcomes enabled by the multi-material
Citation: Zgeib R, Wang X, Zaeri capability of the quad-extrusion bioprinter (QEB). This work represents a significant
A, Zhang F, Cao K, and Chang RC.
Development of a low-cost quad- advancement in bioprinting technology, allowing for the printing of complex and
extrusion 3D bioprinting system for highly organized tissue structures at scale. Moreover, the system’s total build cost is
multi-material tissue constructs. only US$ 297, making it an affordable resource for researchers.
Int J Bioprint. 2024;10(1):0159.
doi: 10.36922/ijb.0159
Received: May 10, 2023 Keywords: 3D bioprinting; Quad-extruder; Multi-material; Support bath printing;
Accepted: June 29, 2023 GelMA; Laponite B
Published Online: August 29, 2023
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s).
This is an Open Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution 1. Introduction
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, Additive bio-manufacturing (bio-AM), or three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting, has
provided the original work is emerged as a prevailing tool in the development of complex programmable tissue
properly cited. constructs. 3D bioprinting enables diverse in vitro biological studies for medicinal
1-6
Publisher’s Note: AccScience studies of pathological conditions by creating microenvironments suitable for cells to
Publishing remains neutral with form tissues that are functionally equivalent to the in vivo scenario. 7-10 Ultimately, with
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional fully developed 3D-bioprinted biological constructs made with multiple bioinks, full
affiliations. organ transplantation would be possible. 11-17 More recently, complex 3D bioprinting

Volume 10 Issue 1 (2024) 294 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.0159