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METHODS

A methodology to develop a vascular geometry for

in vitro cell culture using additive manufacturing

Laurène Lenoir , Frédéric Segonds *, Kim-Anh Nguyen , Pablo Bartolucci 2,4
2,3
1
1
1 Product Design and Innovation Laboratory (LCPI), Arts et Métiers ParisTech, Paris, 151 Boulevard de l’Hôpital, 75013,
France
2 EFS UITC, Center Felix Reyes, Research team 2, Créteil, 5 rue Gustave Eiffel, 94017, France
3 Imagine Institute, Paris, 24 Boulevard du Montparnasse, 75015, France
4 Sickle Cell Referent, Créteil, Center Mondor Hospital, 94017, France

Abstract: Today, additive manufacturing (AM) is implemented in medical industry and profoundly revolutionizes this area.
This approach consists of producing parts by additions of layers of successive materials and offers advantages in terms of
rapidity, complexity of parts, competitive costs that can be exploited and can lead to a significant advancement in biological
research. Everything becomes technically feasible and gives way to a “techno-centered” approach. Many parameters must
be controlled in this field, so it is necessary to be guided for the development of such a product. This article aims to present
a state of the art of existing design methodologies focused on AM to create medical devices. Finally, a development method
is proposed that consists of producing vascular geometry using AM, based on patient data, designed for cell culture in vitro
studies.
Keywords: Innovation; Design; Additive manufacturing; Biology; Medical device

*Correspondence to: Frédéric Segonds, Product Design and Innovation Laboratory (LCPI), Arts et Métiers ParisTech, Paris, 151 Boulevard de
l’Hôpital, 75013, France; frederic.segonds@ensam.eu

Received: June 27, 2019; Accepted: July 12, 2019; Published Online: July 29, 2019
Citation: Lenoir L, Segonds F, Nguyen KA, et al., 2019, A methodology to develop a vascular geometry for in vitro cell
culture using additive manufacturing. Int J Bioprint, 5(2): 238. http://dx.doi.org/10.18063/ijb.v5i2.238

1. Introduction the deoxygenated state to form polymers that promote
Hb polymerization, red blood cell (RBC) membrane
In recent years, additive manufacturing (AM) offers damage, decreased RBC deformability, intravascular, and
significant benefits for a wide range of applications, extravascular hemolysis. These RBC abnormalities lead
especially in the medical sector. Among these applications, to vessel inflammation, vaso-occlusion, and ultimately
bioprinting has emerged, covering printing of biological organ injury .
[3]
cells as well as printing of materials (e.g. polymer, ceramic About 114,000 SCD patients die every year from
or even metal) that are used for cellular culture. Thus, AM complications . Among them, cerebral vasculopathy
[4]
can be used to create vascular geometries, designed for is responsible for stroke all lifelong. However, the
in vitro studies. This approach allows to better understand physiopathology of cerebral vasculopathy in SCD
the physiopathology of many diseases such as sickle cell remains misunderstood. Today, blood exchange
disease (SCD), the most common severe monogenic transfusions are prescribed for SCD patients with high
disorders in the world with 275,000 cases detected each risk, but this conventional treatment has suspensive
year in newborns [1,2] . effects. Bone marrow transplants offer the only potential
It is due to a mutation in the hemoglobin (Hb) beta- cure for SCD but are limited by the number of compatible
globin gene leading to the production of abnormal donors (potential human leukocyte antigen-matched
HbS. The change in molecular structure allows HbS in hematopoietic stem cells) . In the future, gene therapy
[5]
A methodology to develop a vascular geometry for in vitro cell culture using additive manufacturing © 2019 Frederic S, et al. This is an Open Access
article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
by-nc/4.0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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