Page 55 - IJB-10-1

International

Journal of Bioprinting

REVIEW ARTICLE
Microfluidic fiber spinning for 3D bioprinting:

Harnessing microchannels to build macrotissues

Federico Serpe , Carlo Massimo Casciola , Giancarlo Ruocco ,
2
1
1,2
Gianluca Cidonio *, and Chiara Scognamiglio *
1
1
1 Centre for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science (CLN2S), Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), 00161 Rome,
Italy
2 Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (DIMA), University of Rome “La Sapienza,”
00185 Rome, Italy
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advancements in 3D Printing, Microfluidics, and Their Integrated
Applications)
Abstract

Microfluidics is rapidly revolutionizing the scientific panorama, providing unmatched
high-throughput platforms that find application in numerous areas of physics,
chemistry, biology, and materials science. Recently, microfluidic chips have been
proposed, in combination with bioactive materials, as promising tools for spinning
cell-laden fibers with on-demand characteristics. However, cells encapsulated
in filaments produced via microfluidic spinning technology are confined in a
quasi-three-dimensional (3D) environment that fails to replicate the intricate 3D
*Corresponding authors: architecture of biological tissues. Thanks to the recent synergistic combination of
Chiara Scognamiglio microfluidic devices with 3D bioprinting technologies that enable the production
(chiara.scognamiglio@iit.it) of sophisticated microfibers serving as the backbone of 3D structures, a new age of
Gianluca Cidonio tissue engineering is emerging. This review looks at how combining microfluidics
(gianluca.cidonio@iit.it) with 3D printing is contributing to the biofabrication of relevant human substitutes
Citation: Serpe F, Casciola and implants. This paper also describes the whole manufacturing process from
CM, Ruocco G, Cidonio G, the production of the microfluidic tool to the printing of tissue models, focusing
Scognamiglio C. Microfluidic
fiber spinning for 3D bioprinting: on cutting-edge fabrication technologies and emphasizing the most noticeable
Harnessing microchannels to build achievements for microfluidic spinning technology. A theoretical insight for
macrotissues. Int J Bioprint. 2023; thixotropic hydrogels is also proposed to predict the fiber size and shear stress
2024;10(1):1404
doi: 10.36922/ijb.1404 developing within microfluidic channels. The potential of using microfluidic chips
as bio-printheads for multi-material and multi-cellular bioprinting is discussed,
Received: July 27, 2023
Accepted: August 25, 2023 highlighting the challenges that microfluidic bioprinting still faces in advancing the
Published Online: January 2, 2024 field of biofabrication for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine purposes.
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
This is an Open Access article Keywords: Microfluidic; 3D bioprinting; Fiber spinning; Biofabrication
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is
properly cited. 1. Introduction
Publisher’s Note: AccScience Microfluidics aims to investigate the physics of static and dynamic fluids at the microscale
Publishing remains neutral with level. The ability to manipulate small volumes of fluids with high precision provides
regard to jurisdictional claims in unparalleled possibilities for the development of novel solutions to interdisciplinary
published maps and institutional
affiliations. challenges, particularly in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. 1,2

Volume 10 Issue 1 (2024) 47 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.1404