Anti-Fouling and Anti-Fibrotic 3D Bioinks for Printing Implantable Tissue Constructs

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. In this project, we will combine the materials expertise of the Hoare lab at McMaster University in the design of spontaneously-gelling hydrogels that quickly convert from liquid-like materials to gels upon mixing and the printing expertise of Aspect Biosystems, a rapidly-growing Vancouver-based company that has developed a unique microfluidic 3D printer ideally suited to print spontaneously-gelling hydrogels, to develop new bioinks that can support high-resolution printing, high cell viability, and significantly improved tissue compatibility and stability in the body following implantation. The successful execution of this project will result in at least 1-2 candidate bioink designs that can be marketed by Aspect Biosystems to its printer customers as well as used internally for creating implantable regenerative therapie

Faculty Supervisor:

Todd Hoare

Student:

Partner:

Aspect Biosystems Ltd

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

McMaster University

Program: