A biofabrication and validation platform for 3D bioprinting of physiologically complex tissue phantoms for ultrasound imaging

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Aspect Biosystems Ltd. is a development-stage biotechnology company pioneering the advancement and commercialization of novel 3D bioprinting technology to fabricate physiologically complex tissues for broad applications in the life sciences. An important new business opportunity of this technology in disease diagnosis and drug development is the creation of large, programmable, and cell-containing tissue phantoms for use in the field of ultrasound-based tissue typing. In this project we propose to optimize the printing process to build large constructs that mimic in vivo tissue stiffness, density, and ultrasound-image-signature, essential characteristics of tissue phantoms for ultrasound imaging. The main objectives are to develop the necessary biomaterial formulations and printer improvements to enable the biofabrication of large, densely packed 3D bioprinted ultrasound tissue phantoms, and to use ultrasound tissue typing parameters to evaluate and optimize such constructs to closely mimic in vivo tissue. We aim to fabricate several tissue phantoms with controlled geometry, cell composition, and tissue stiffness using human hepatocellular liver and cervical cancer cells. The overall process will be tested for functionality, reproducibility, printability, and biocompatibility of the phantoms. Ultrasound-based tissue typing techniques including those analyzing spectral and statistical properties of individual ultrasound data frames, as well as a new approach that uses a sequence of ultrasounddata frames will be applied to characterize and optimize the bioprinted phantoms. Development and commercialization of 3D bioprinting enabled tissue products will put Canada at the forefront of innovations in this field and has the potential to benefit the Canadian economy and advance the output of Canadian intellectual property. The tissue phantoms developed in this project will enable evaluation of new image capturing and processing techniques on structures that mimic in vivo conditions, for more accurate diagnosis of disease especially cancer as well developing new drugs and monitoring treatments, positively impacting the lives of millions of people.