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RESEARCH ARTICLE

A Multifunctional 3D Bioprinting System for

Construction of Complex Tissue Structure

Scaffolds: Design and Application

Yuanyuan Xu 1,2,3 , Chengjin Wang 1,2,3 , Yang Yang 1,2,3 , Hui Liu , Zhuo Xiong 1,2,3 , Ting Zhang 1,2,3 *,
4
Wei Sun 1,2,3,5 *

1 Biomanufacturing Center, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
2 Biomanufacturing and Rapid Forming Technology Key Laboratory of Beijing, Beijing 100084, China
3 Biomanufacturing and Engineering Living Systems” Innovation International Talents Base (111 Base), Beijing 100084, China
4 SunP Boyuan (Beijing) Biotech Co., Ltd., Beijing 100085, China
5 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA

Abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting offers a potentially powerful new approach to reverse engineering human
pathophysiology to address the problem of developing more biomimetic experimental systems. Human tissues and organs are
multiscale and multi-material structures. The greatest challenge for organ printing is the complexity of the structural elements,
from the shape of the macroscopic structure to the details of the nanostructure. A highly bionic tissue-organ model requires the
use of multiple printing processes. Some printers with multiple nozzles and multiple processes are currently reported. However,
the bulk volume, which is inconvenient to move, and the high cost of these printing systems limits the expansion of their
applications. Scientists urgently need a multifunctional miniaturized 3D bioprinter. In this study, a portable multifunctional
3D bioprinting system was built based on a modular design and a custom written operating application. Using this platform,
constructs with detailed surface structures, hollow structures, and multiscale complex tissue analogs were successfully printed
using commercial polymers and a series of hydrogel-based inks. With further development, this portable, modular, low-cost,
and easy-to-use Bluetooth-enabled 3D printer promises exciting opportunities for resource-constrained application scenarios,
not only in biomedical engineering but also in the education field, and may be used in space experiments.

Keywords: 3D printing; Modular design; Microextrusion; Multifunctional printing

*Correspondence to: Ting Zhang, Biomanufacturing Center, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084,
China; t-zhang@tsinghua.edu.cn; Wei Sun, Biomanufacturing Center, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing
100084, China; weisun@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

Received: May 20, 2022; Accepted: June 17, 2022; Published Online: September 19, 2022
Citation: Xu Y, Wang C, Yang Y, et al., 2022. A Multifunctional 3D Bioprinting System for Construction of Complex Tissue Structure
Scaffolds: Design and Application. Int J Bioprint, 8(4): 617. http://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.v8i4.617

1. Introduction regenerative medicine scientists to scale up and automates
the process of organ construction while providing
The field of tissue engineering is maturing for creating precision and reproducibility [2-4] . Three-dimensional (3D)
opportunities that provide complex tissues and organs bioprinting offers a potentially powerful new approach to
to impact human health. A greater understanding of reverse engineering human pathophysiology to address
human pathophysiology requires the development of these long-standing problems [5-7] .
more biomimetic experimental systems that allow for The great challenge in the regeneration of functional
the analysis of cell-to-cell communication and tissue- living tissues and organs is the complexity of structural
tissue interactions in more relevant organ context roles . elements, ranging from the shape of the macroscopic
[1]
Promotion in the field of organ transplantation requires the structure to the details of the nanostructure. At the
© 2022 Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting distribution and
reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.
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