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Start of funding 01.01.2025
Biofabrication of anisotropic structures for in vitro tissue models
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Groll
University of Würzburg
Department of Functional Materials in Medicine and Dentistry
Prof. Dr. Sarah Heilshorn
Stanford University
Department of Materials Science & Engineering
Drug discovery, testing and disease studies still heavily rely on animal testing; however, it is widely recognized that such models cannot provide accuracy when it comes to effects on humans. Given these limitations, the establishment of reliable in vitro human tissue models is of critical importance. The field of biofabrication has approached the challenge by introducing automation in the production of tissue models through bioprinting, allowing control in the deposition of biomaterials and viable cells to fabricate living tissues. A key characteristic of many tissues, like muscle and tendon, is the alignment of extracellular matrix components and embedded cells, which is crucial for functionality. We hypothesize that a hybrid biofabrication strategy that makes use of both Melt Electrowriting (MEW)-Fibrillation and diffusion-based extrusion printing of recombinant protein hydrogels will result in a printed, living construct with multiple lengthscales of hierarchical alignment. Therefore, our goal within this project is to merge biofabrication techniques from both laboratories (MEW-Fibrillation and diffusion-based extrusion bioprinting) to recapitulate the aligned, fibrous structures in muscle tissue for development of human relevant in vitro models.