3D Bioprinting Phototunable Hydrogels to Study Fibroblast Activation

We engineered 3D models of lung tissue to help the world breathe easier. Our mission is to use 3D biomaterials and techniques like 3D printing to build platforms that help us understand what is causing chronic lung diseases and how to better treat these conditions. One experimental challenge in our research is the difficulty of 3D printing soft materials into complex shapes.

We precisely deposit cells by printing our bioink and tissue thinning support bath that helps maintain their shape during the printing process. Our biomaterials provide control over sample mechanical properties throughout the entire course of the experiment. This formulation allows researchers to grow cells in a hydrogel that matches the stiffness of both healthy and diseased lung tissue.

Users can decide when to stiffen the samples and measure cellular responses. The photo-tunable biomaterials used in this protocol allow for a softened model to be created, which can later be stiffened to explore cellular responses to microenvironmental stiffening. Similar techniques that use a static biomaterial instead of a photo-tunable biomaterial result in a model that cannot be stiffened after printing.

Results from other studies in our lab suggests sex and age play critical roles in lung disease progression. Future models will study these variables and include more complexity, like additional cell-specific layers. Coupling these efforts will result in more realistic bioprints and lead to new ways of treating fibrotic diseases.