Feasibility of Bioprinting with a Modified Desktop 3D Printer.
Numerous studies have shown the capabilities of three-dimensional (3D) printing for use in the medical industry. At the time of this publication, basic home desktop 3D printer kits can cost as little as $300, whereas medical-specific 3D bioprinters can cost more than $300,000. The purpose of this study is to show how a commercially available desktop 3D printer could be modified to bioprint an engineered poly-l-lactic acid scaffold containing viable chondrocytes in a bioink. Our bioprinter was used to create a living 3D functional tissue-engineered cartilage scaffold. In this article, we detail the design, production, and calibration of this bioprinter. In addition, the bioprinted cells were tested for viability, proliferation, biochemistry, and gene expression; these tests showed that the cells survived the printing process, were able to continue dividing, and produce the extracellular matrix expected of chondrocytes.
1 The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research , Manhasset, New York.|2 Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine , Hempstead, New York.
Todd A
TA
Goldstein
1 The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research , Manhasset, New York.
Casey J
CJ
Epstein
1 The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research , Manhasset, New York.
John
J
Schwartz
1 The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research , Manhasset, New York.
Alex
A
Krush
1 The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research , Manhasset, New York.
Dan J
DJ
Lagalante
1 The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research , Manhasset, New York.
Kevin P
KP
Mercadante
1 The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research , Manhasset, New York.|2 Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine , Hempstead, New York.
David
D
Zeltsman
1 The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research , Manhasset, New York.|2 Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine , Hempstead, New York.
Lee P
LP
Smith
1 The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research , Manhasset, New York.|2 Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine , Hempstead, New York.
Daniel A
DA
Grande
D000818:Animals; D062028:Bioprinting / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000166:cytology*; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry; D066330:Printing, Three-Dimensional / Q000295:instrumentation*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
D011091:Polyesters; C033616:poly(lactide)
3D printing; bioink; bioprinting; cartilage; tissue engineering