Page 359 - IJB-9-4

International Journal of Bioprinting

RESEARCH ARTICLE
A computational model of cell viability and

proliferation of extrusion-based 3D-bioprinted
constructs during tissue maturation process

Patrizia Gironi , Ludovico Petraro , Silvia Santoni , Luca Dedé ,
3
1
1,2
1
Bianca Maria Colosimo *
1
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Via Privata Giuseppe La Masa, 1,
Milano 20156, Italy
2 Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano,
Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32, 20133, Milan, Italy
3
MOX - Modeling and Scientific Computing, Dipartimento di Matematica, Politecnico di Milano,
Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, Milano 20133, Italy

Abstract
3D bioprinting is a novel promising solution for living tissue fabrication, with
several potential advantages in many different applicative sectors. However, the
implementation of complex vascular networks remains as one of the limiting factors
for the production of complex tissues and for bioprinting scale-up. In this work, a
physics-based computational model is presented to describe nutrients diffusion and
consumption phenomena in bioprinted constructs. The model—a system of partial
differential equations that is approximated by means of the finite element method—
*Corresponding author: allows for the description of cell viability and proliferation, and it can be easily
Bianca Maria Colosimo adapted to different cell types, densities, biomaterials, and 3D-printed geometries,
(biancamaria.colosimo@polimi.it) thus allowing a preassessment of cell viability within the bioprinted construct. The
Citation: Gironi P, Petraro L, experimental validation is performed on bioprinted specimens to assess the ability
Santoni S, et al., 2023, A of the model to predict changes in cell viability. The proposed model constitutes a
computational model of cell viability proof of concept of digital twinning of biofabricated constructs that can be suitably
and proliferation of extrusion-based
3D-bioprinted constructs during included in the basic toolkit for tissue bioprinting.
tissue maturation process.
Int J Bioprint, 9(4): 741.
https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.741 Keywords: Bioprinting; Oxygen; Glucose; Mathematical model; Finite element
Received: January 19, 2023 method; Validation
Accepted: March 08, 2023
Published Online: April 28, 2023
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s).
This is an Open Access article 1. Introduction
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution Over the last decades, tissue engineering has been widely exploited for the regeneration
License, permitting distribution, of damaged tissues and organs, especially to compensate for the mismatch between
and reproduction in any medium,
[1]
provided the original work is organ demand and availability . However, the spatial control and density obtained
properly cited. through cell seeding onto premade scaffolds are not suitable for the regeneration
Publisher’s Note: Whioce of complex tissues. In this context, 3D bioprinting constitutes a promising solution
[2]
Publishing remains neutral with for complex biological tissues with high cell density and different cell types . The
regard to jurisdictional claims in interest toward 3D bioprinting has increased exponentially in the last two decades
published maps and institutional
affiliations. both in academic institutions and in the market field, as thoroughly reported by

Volume 9 Issue 4 (2023) 351 https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.741