I-Corps: Modularized Bioprinter for High Throughput Pharmaceutical Development

这一i-Corps项目的广泛影响/商业潜力预计将主要满足制药业的需求，但也与更广泛的生物应用有关。过去10年，药物发现的成本增加了近150%，仅开发一种药物的平均成本约为26亿美元。一个主要的因素是临床前研究的无效，这些研究通常仍然使用简单的2D细胞培养作为实验模型，不能准确地概括3D、多细胞生理环境的复杂性。模块化多打印头生物打印机的开发将使各种材料能够整合到3D打印组织中。因此，制药公司的研究人员将获得一种具有成本效益的方法来简化药物开发，从而提高将药物推向市场的生产率。这个i-Corps项目旨在调查模块化、多打印头生物打印机的商业化潜力。这种生物打印系统通过两个关键功能解决了目前的限制。首先，多个分配机构可以共同处理多种材料。几种不同材料和打印风格的打印头允许以最小的应力和高分辨率打印所有粘度的细胞负载流体的3D、2D、挤出或液滴打印。其次，这是一种模块化设计，允许根据客户的规格定制生物打印机。该系统支持使用不同打印头的任意组合建造和操作生物打印机，以匹配客户的价位和研究需求。这些功能的结合使客户能够创造出他们设计的复杂生物组织。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is expected to primarily address the needs of the pharmaceutical industry, but is also relevant to a broader range of biological applications. The cost of pharmaceutical drug discovery has increased by nearly 150% in the past 10 years, averaging about $2.6 billion to develop just one drug. A major contributing factor is the inefficacy of pre-clinical studies that still typically use simple 2D cell cultures as experimental models which do not accurately recapitulate the complexity of 3D, multicellular physiological environments. The development of a modular multi-printhead bioprinter will enable a wide variety of materials to be incorporated into the 3D printed tissues. As a result, researchers in pharmaceutical companies will receive a cost-effective means to streamline drug development, leading to increased productivity in bringing medications to market.This I-Corps project aims to investigate the commercialization potential of a modular, multi-printhead bioprinter. This bioprinting system solves the current limitations with two key features. Firstly the multiple dispensing mechanisms can collectively process a wide range of materials. Several printheads each specialized in different materials and printing styles allow 3D, 2D, extrusion, or droplet printing of cell-laden fluids of all viscosities with minimal stress and high resolutions. Secondly, this is a modular design that allows the customization of a bioprinter to a customer's specifications. The system supports the construction and operation of bioprinters with any combination of the different printheads to match the customer's price point and research needs. The combination of these features enables the customer to create complex biological tissues of their design.