Special Issue on Three Dimensional Bioprinting

Abstract

Additive manufacturing, or commonly known as threedimensional (3D) printing, is a layerbylayer manufacturing approach enabling fabrication of highly complex objects made of plastics, ceramics, metals, composites, and other emerging materials. 3D bioprinting is an extension of tissue engineering, as it intends to create de novo tissues and organs combining biomaterials, tissue engineering, and 3D printing. It uses bioadditive manufacturing technologies such as laserbased writing, inkjetbased printing, and extrusionbased deposition to print constructs for generation of engineered tissues, tissue constructs, organ modules, and organs. Bioprinting offers great precision on spatial placement of cells, proteins, genes, drugs, and biologically active nanoand microparticles to better guide tissue generation and formation. This emerging technology appears to be more promising for advancing tissue engineering toward functional tissue and organ fabrication for transplantation, ultimately mitigating organ shortage, and saving lives. In this regard, exploring novel bioprinting processes and nextgeneration bioprinter technologies, development of new bioink materials and understanding functional tissue and organ formation is of growing importance. This Special Issue selected seven Research Papers and an Expert View article on recent advances, research, and development in 3D printing and bioprinting technologies for tissue engineering and medicine.