NSF/FDA/SIR: Evaluating cellular integrity as a function of bioprinter nozzle geometry

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"Bioprinting" is an approach to assemble individual living cells to form tissue like skin or muscle, much like 3-D printing with metal or plastic to form machine parts. This method promises to revolutionize fabrication of tissue replacements or tissue models for drug testing. A limitation of bioprinting is that individual cells are fragile and may be damaged by being squirted through a narrow tube called a capillary through a small opening. The project proposes to measure damage to the cell membrane, internal skeleton, and DNA depending on the properties of the printing capillary. The applicants propose to address an important issue in "bioprinting", which is like 3D printing to assemble cells into tissue like skin or muscle. The issue is that the shear forces in the narrow capillary in the print head can damage the cell membrane, cytoskeleton, and DNA in the nucleus; slowing the liquid flow in the capillary to reduce the shear force may result in an unacceptable reduction in print speed. The applicants propose to determine the effects of shear time and changes in capillary properties on the cell damage.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.