3D bioprinting of collagen to rebuild components of the human heart

Collagen is the primary component of the extracellular matrix in the human body. It has proved challenging to fabricate collagen scaffolds capable of replicating the structure and function of tissues and organs. We present a method to 3D-bioprint collagen using freeform reversible embedding of suspended hydrogels (FRESH) to engineer components of the human heart at various scales, from capillaries to the full organ. Control of pH-driven gelation provides 20-micrometer filament resolution, a porous microstructure that enables rapid cellular infiltration and microvascularization, and mechanical strength for fabrication and perfusion of multiscale vasculature and tri-leaflet valves. We found that FRESH…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Award: 1454248
• CM
  Carnegie Mellon University
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: DP2HL117750, R21HD090679
• UF
  U.S. Food and Drug Administration

  Award: R01FD006582
• OO
  Office of Naval Research

  Award: N00014-17-1-2566
• CD
  Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs

  Award: W81XWH1610018