The Bioinks Set Enables Complex High-Resolution Bio-Structures from Micro to Meso Scale

The launch of a new biocompatible hydrogel resin heralds the start of a new era in bioprinting. The new resin enables 3D printing of 2-photon polymerization (2PP) from micro to meso scale at the highest resolution.

Reactivity and easy materials processing allow for the creation of complex and versatile organ or lab-on-chip designs. This new Bioink is called Hydrotech INX© U200 has been developed by materials specialist BIO INX (Belgium) in collaboration with UpNano (Austria), a leading manufacturer of 2PP 3D printers. The result of this collaboration now makes it possible to add an additional layer of complexity to bioprinted constructions with clever combinations of several biocompatible materials. In this respect a versatile cancer-on-chip model is made possible by combining the newly launched resin with a gelatin-based hydrogel that encases cells Hydrobio INX© U200which is the first commercially available high-resolution bio ink that offers cell interactivity.

The ever-increasing possibilities of bioprinting are fostered by the continuous advancement of 3D bioprinting technology. In this regard, 2-photon polymerization (2PP) 3D-printing excels because it covers the entire spectrum of biological dimensions with a single printing technology: sub-micrometer resolution combined with the ability to print objects at centimeter dimensions (macro scale). This impressive potential has now been developed by a series of bioinks co-developed by BIO INX, specialist in 3D bioprinting materials, and UpNano, a leading manufacturer of 2PP 3D printers.

Macrostructure with Micrometer-Precision

With the release Hydrotech INX© U200 the two companies demonstrated their success in developing a versatile material that enables 3D printing of 2PP macrostructures with micrometer precision. The material has been certified according to ISO 10993-5, which confirms its excellent biocompatibility. Jasper Van Hoorick, CEO of BIO INX, commented: “Combined with the fact that the material is completely bio-inert, its robust characteristics make the Hydrotech INX© U200 the ideal choice for organ-on-chip applications.”

Complex Design – Simple Production

“Combining these steps can easily be done,” explains Denise Hirner, COO and co-founder of UpNano, “using NanoOne Bio in combination with two Hydrotech INX© U200 bioinks for inert structures and Hydrobio INX© U200 for living cells in 3 dimensions.” In fact, while Hydrotech-bioink is perfectly optimized for the manufacture of high-resolution bioinert but biocompatible microstructures, Hydrobio-bioink is a natural, water-soluble hydrogel that allows direct transfer of cell cultures from 2D culture plates into 3D complexes. -structure. It has been developed specifically for the encapsulation of a wide variety of cell types thereby enabling the fabrication of complex 3D micro-microbes.

Production of lab-on-a-chip devices will now be possible not only with unprecedented precision, but also with directly embedded live cells – thereby saving time and increasing the significance of results. Natural tissue-like surface structures (biomimetic structures) such as liver lobules or intestinal villi can now be fabricated in microfluidic channels on a chip, and living cells of various densities can then be seeded directly onto them.

By combining their respective competencies in materials development and 2PP 3D printing, BIO INX and UpNano are pushing the possibilities of bioprinting to a new level and will continue to do so.

Source: https://www.upnano.at/