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Applications of 3D bioprinted iPSCs

Figure 3. Workflow of three-dimensional bioprinting of peripheral nerve tissue for treatment of peripheral
nerve injury. Sciatica is the pain due to the injury to the largest nerve in the body. Extreme case of sciatica
needs surgical intervention and if possible, regenerative therapy. The autologous peripheral tissues can
be collected from the patient, reprogram to induced pluripotent stem cells and differentiate to peripheral
nerve tissue progenitors or peripheral neurons, then bioprint using a suitable scaffold material, allow the
maturation of the bioprinted tissue in a bioreactor and transplant to the patient to repair and regenerate
the injured nervous tissue.

its products, the cells should be free from any 2019, Kim et al. successfully developed a pancreatic
genetic integration of foreign DNA materials tissue-derived (pdECM)-bioink to provide the
in the iPSC genome. mRNA-based, episomal, pancreatic tissue-specific microenvironment to
and recombinant protein-based introduction of bioprint the human iPSC-derived pancreatic islet
transcription factors eliminate the risk of genomic cells. The study used decellularized porcine pancreas
integrations or aberrations in the iPSCs, which is to provide the extra cellular matrix support for the
an important step toward using the iPSCs for cell- growth of the cells . Biotechnology companies
[98]
based therapies in patients [93-95] . such as Cellheal and Celprogen are working toward
to bioprint the functional pancreatic tissues for
4.2.1 Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) treatment [99]
by the replacement of pancreatic beta cells diabetic treatment .
4.2.2 Reproductive system disorders
T1DM is known to be associated with the immune-
mediated destruction of insulin producing pancreatic Ovarian failure is a major cause of infertility
β-cells [96,97] . Effective treatment of T1DM is a long worldwide [100,101] . Functional 3D printed ovarian
pending requirement in diabetes care. Islet cell tissues would be a boon for infertility treatment. In
transplantation is a traditional method of managing 2017, Laronda et al. reported that the 3D bioprinted
T1DM, but the transplanted islets are rejected by the ovary using porous gelatin scaffold material could
host immune system. Bioprinted islets encapsulated support the growth and maturation of printed
in a suitable biocompatible material have been ovarian follicles in laboratory conditions. The lab-
emerged as a treatment method to tackle this grown ovary is tested in a sterilized mouse model
immune rejection. Biofabrication of 3D constructs and found to be functional. The bioprosthetic ovary
of patient-derived iPSCs differentiated to insulin- used scaffold materials such as gelatin and gelatin
producing pancreatic islet cells can potentially be an methacrylate for bioprinting [102] . The structural
allogeneic source of cells for T1DM treatment. In features of the scaffold material such as pore

66 International Journal of Bioprinting (2020)–Volume 6, Issue 4