New review showcases the current uses and new demands for 3D bioprinting
New review showcases the current uses and new demands for 3D bioprinting lead image
High-throughput screening (HTS) technologies continue to propel new advances in biological research and pharmaceuticals. Despite the advent of 3D tissue printing, many HTS approaches still use liquid-based 2D cell culture techniques instead of more physiologically accurate, bioengineered 3D tissues. A new review by researchers at Wake Forest University identifies the promises and challenges of adapting HTS technologies to the emerging field of 3D bioprinting.
Mazzocchi et al. provide highlights of current uses of 3D printing for drug screening, disease modeling and precision medicine as well as for identifying new demands from emerging 3D cell culture modalities. They point out that even though new platforms such as body-on-a-chip and organ-on-a-chip systems can be used in determining drug efficacy and toxicity, these technologies are currently limited by the low-throughput nature of creating these tissues. New microfabrication techniques for constructing these multi-tissue arrays will need to be further refined.
They also argue that since many quantifiable measurements currently used for 2D culture models rely on cell monolayers or suspensions in media, experiments conducted in 3D multi-well culture systems might require new or updated protocols for collecting data. Assays commonly used in traditional 2D cell cultures may require significant reworking and optimization to be successful in the 3D setting.
The authors are currently working to improve their 3D tissue platform technologies, scalability, and additional biological components, such as incorporating new components like the immune system to better model personalized tissues for precision medicine for cancer and diabetes treatment.
Source: “3D bioprinting for high-throughput screening: Drug screening, disease modeling, and precision medicine applications,” by Andrea Mazzocchi, Shay Soker, and Aleksander Skardal, Applied Physics Reviews (2019). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5056188 .
