4D bioprinting technique replicates heart cell development

Focusing on heart tissue, the study showed that cell-generated forces could guide the shape-morphing of bioprinted tissues. The Galway team also demonstrated that tweaking factors such as the initial print geometry and bioink stiffness impacted the magnitude of the shape changes, and that the morphing enhanced the functionality of the printed tissue. The work is published in Advanced Functional Materials.  

“Our work introduces a novel platform, using embedded bioprinting to bioprint tissues that undergo programmable and predictable 4D shape-morphing driven by cell-generated forces,” said lead author Ankita Pramanick, CÚRAM PhD Candidate at Galway University.

“Using this new process, we found that shape-morphing improved the structural and functional maturity of bioprinted heart tissues.”

To date, bioprinting methods have generally sought to directly replicate the final anatomical shape of organs such as the heart. According to the researchers, this doesn’t leave room for the crucial role of dynamic shape changes that take place during natural embryonic development. In the heart’s case, it begins as a simple tube that then undergoes a series of bends and twists to form its mature four-chambered structure. Facilitating this cell morphing could be a vital step towards printing functional human organs.