3D Jet Writing: Functional Microtissues Based on Tessellated Scaffold Architectures

Abstract

<p class="first" id="P1">The advent of adaptive manufacturing techniques supports the vision of cell-instructive materials that mimic biological tissues. 3D jet writing, a modified electrospinning process discovered herein, yields three-dimensional structures with unprecedented precision and resolution offering customizable pore geometries and scalability to over tens of centimeters. These scaffolds support the 3D expansion and differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells <i>in vitro</i>. Implantation of these constructs leads to the healing of critical bone defects <i>in vivo</i> without exogenous growth factors. When applied as a metastatic target site in mice, circulating cancer cells homed in to the osteogenic environment simulated on 3D jet writing scaffolds, despite implantation in an anatomically abnormal site. Through 3D jet writing, we demonstrate the formation of tessellated microtissues which serve as a versatile 3D cell culture platform in a range of biomedical applications including regenerative medicine, cancer biology, and stem cell biotechnology. </p>