Diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis have been widely impacted by the pathogenesis of inflammation. After traditional therapy, most of the time dying cells stimulate inflammatory effects which results the reduction of therapeutic effect and enhances the drug resistance. That is why treatment often requires frequent or continuous high-dosage administration of anti-inflammatory drugs. Efficient delivery of anti-inflammatory drugs to the targeted sites can reduce medical dosage and improve therapeutic effect.

While 3D printing has been hyped as the solution to the current shortage of organs available for implantation, the very limited scope of hydrogel-based “inks” that are available to print an implant has limited the practical implementation of 3D printing in regenerative medicine.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease where pancreatic beta cells are destroyed and no longer produce insulin, a hormone that maintains healthy blood sugar levels. People with T1D must replace insulin with injections or a pump. Although insulin is lifesaving, maintaining normal blood sugar levels is often a struggle for people with diabetes. Extreme low or high blood sugar can have deadly consequences. Replacing beta cells through islet transplantation is a promising therapy that allows the restoration of normal blood glucose levels.

Most people with type 1 diabetes control their blood sugar levels through frequent blood glucose monitoring and insulin injections or infusion. Insulin therapy is life-saving but also life-altering and leads to decreased life expectancy. Instead, insulin-producing cells could be transplanted in devices which would prevent their rejection by the immune system. The design of these devices must take into account oxygen supply to the graft, which becomes more problematic in human-scale devices compared to studies conducted in animals such as mice.

Aspect Biosystems is developing a novel microfluidic 3D bioprinting technology that has the potential to fundamentally change the way many diseases are treated through the creation of functional human tissue. The technology manages highly complex fluid handling operations and requires sophisticated control systems to deliver reliable and repeatable results. This project is focused on developing such a control system specifically for fluid flow control through the microfluidic printhead.