Page 208 - IJB-9-6

International

Journal of Bioprinting

REVIEW ARTICLE
3D bioprinting and scaffold-free strategies for

fabrication of multi-cellular tissues or organoids

Haoyu Li , Huixing Zhou *, Chongwen Xu , Yen Wei *, and Xiuying Tang *
3
1
2
1
1
1 School of Mechanical-Electronic and Vehicle Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering
and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China
2 The Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of
Education), Department of Chemistry and the Tsinghua Center for Frontier Polymer Research,
Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
3 College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China

Abstract
The biofabrication of multi-cellular tissues or organoids (MTOs) has been challenging
in regenerative medicine for decades. Currently, two primary technological
approaches are being explored: scaffold-based strategies utilizing three-dimensional
(3D) bioprinting techniques and scaffold-free strategies employing bioassembly
techniques. 3D bioprinting techniques include jetting-based, extrusion-based, and
vat photopolymerization-based methods, and bioassembly techniques include
*Corresponding authors:
Huixing Zhou Kenzan, fluid-based manipulation and microfluid, bioprinting-assisted tissue
(perc_zhx@126.com) emergence, and aspiration-assisted technology methods. Scaffold-based strategies
Yen Wei primarily concentrate on the construction of scaffold structures to provide an
(weiyen@tsinghua.edu.cn) extracellular environment, while scaffold-free strategies primarily emphasize the
Xiuying Tang assembly methods of building blocks. Different biofabrication technologies have their
(txying@cau.edu.cn)
advantages and limitations. This review provides an overview of the mechanisms,
Citation: Li H, Zhou H, Xu C, et al., advantages, and limitations of scaffold-based and scaffold-free strategies in tissue
2023, 3D bioprinting and scaffold- engineering. It also compares the strengths and weaknesses of these two strategies,
free strategies for fabrication of
multi-cellular tissues or organoids. along with their respective suitability under different conditions. Moreover, the
Int J Bioprint, 9(6): 0135. significant challenges in the future development of convergence strategies,
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.0135 specifically the integration of scaffold-based and scaffold-free approaches, are
Received: April 14, 2023 examined in an objective manner. This review concludes that integrating scaffold-
Accepted: June 3, 2023 based and scaffold-free strategies could overcome the problems in the biofabrication
Published Online: July 25, 2023
of MTOs. A novel fabrication method, the BioMicroMesh method, is proposed based
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s). on the convergence strategy. Concurrently, the development of a desktop-scale
This is an Open Access article integrated intelligent biofabrication device, the BioMicroMesh system, is underway.
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution This system is tailored to the BioMicroMesh method and incorporates cell aggregate
License, permitting distribution, spheroids preparation, 3D bioprinting, bioassembly, and multi-organoid co-culture
and reproduction in any medium, functions, providing an objective perspective on its capabilities.
provided the original work is
properly cited.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience Keywords: Multi-cellular tissues or organoids (MTOs); Biofabrication strategies;
Publishing remains neutral with Scaffold-based and scaffold-free strategies; 3D bioprinting; Bioassembly;
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional BioMicroMesh
affiliations.

Volume 9 Issue 6 (2023) 200 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.0135