MRI: Acquisition of a Multi-modal, High-resolution 4D Bioprinting Platform for Multidisciplinary Research and Workforce Training at NC State

生物打印技术是各种生物医学和生物领域基础研究和应用的关键推动因素。这笔赠款将促进购买配备独一无二的激光诱导正向转移(LIFT)、微阀按需滴落和微挤出打印能力的高分辨率生物打印系统，以及由机器学习算法驱动的成像系统，用于在线评估打印结构的质量。Lift能够实现单个细胞和微粒的精确、无压力沉积，与其他两种印刷方式相结合，将促进添加剂制造、组织工程、动植物细胞生物学、功能材料工程和生物电子学等领域的基础和应用研究。北卡罗来纳州州立大学以及合作大学和行业的数百名大学生和K-12年级的学生、博士后和专业人员将通过各种研究、教育和推广活动接触到这一系统，这在北卡罗来纳州是第一次。这个多模式系统能够在印刷过程中实现微米精度以及细胞和微粒水平的控制(分辨率为100微米)，将支持各种跨学科研究项目，利用多种长度尺度的广泛有机和无机材料。所开展的研究活动的例子包括：1)提升肌肉骨骼组织工程的过程物理和过程结构表征；2)为组织工程、肿瘤学和药物筛选应用开发更可靠的有机类物质(例如皮肤、肠道、肺)；3)研究调节不同植物干细胞之间的细胞间通讯的调节机制，以设计具有所需特性的植物；4)设计具有特定组成和微结构的功能软材料复合材料，以实现独特的光子、机械和生物特性；以及5)研究生物识别图案设计、特定的结合化学以及表面相互作用，以开发小型化、多路复用的生物传感器和生物电子学。该系统将有助于治疗和诊断组织工程产品的开发；强大的植物和农产品；生物医学设备、传感器和电子产品；以及具有国家和全球重要性的功能软材料的开发。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Bioprinting technologies are critical enablers for fundamental research and applications in a variety of biomedical and biological domains. This grant will facilitate the acquisition of a high-resolution bioprinting system equipped with one-of-its-kind laser induced forward transfer (LIFT), micro-valve drop-on-demand, and micro-extrusion printing capabilities along with an imaging system driven by machine learning algorithms for in-line quality assessment of printed structures. LIFT, which enables precise, pressure-free deposition of individual cells and microparticles, in conjunction with the other two printing modalities, will catalyze fundamental and applied research in domains including additive manufacturing, tissue engineering, animal and plant cell biology, functional materials engineering, and bioelectronics. Hundreds of college and K-12 students, postdocs, and professional workforce at NC State University and partner universities and industry will be exposed to this system, the first of its kind in the state of North Carolina, through various research, education, and outreach activities. This multimodal system, which enables micrometric precision and cellular and microparticle-level control during printing (resolution 100 µm), will support various interdisciplinary research projects leveraging a broad range of organic and inorganic materials at multiple length scales. Examples of research activities enabled include: 1) LIFT process physics and process-structure characterization for musculoskeletal tissue engineering; 2) development of more reliable organoids (e.g. skin, gut, lung) for tissue engineering, oncology, and drug screening applications; 3) investigation of regulatory mechanisms that modulate cell-to-cell communication across different plant stem cells toward designing plants with desired traits; 4) designing functional soft material composites with specific compositions and micro-architectures to achieve unique photonic, mechanical, and biological properties; and 5) investigating bio-recognition pattern designs, specific binding chemistries, and surface interactions toward developing miniaturized, multiplexed biosensors and bioelectronics. The system will contribute to the development of therapeutic and diagnostic tissue engineered products; robust plants and agro-products; biomedical devices, sensors, and electronics; and functional soft materials among other applications of national and global importance.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.