An Overview of Laser-assisted Bioprinting (LAB) in Tissue Engineering Applications
Reiza Ventura
Abstract
Biological tissues and organs are composed of different arrays of cells, biochemical cues, and extracellular matrices arranged in a complex microarchitecture. Laser-Assisted Bioprinting (LAB) is an emerging and promising technology that is reproducible with high accuracy that can be used for fabricating complex bioengineered scaffolds that mimic tissues and organs. The LAB process allows researchers to print intricate structural scaffolds using cells and different biomaterials essential for facilitating cell-scaffold interaction and to induce tissue and organ regeneration which cannot be achieved in a traditional scaffold fabrication. This process can fabricate artificial cell niches or architecture without affecting cellular viability and material integrity. This review tackles the basic principles and key aspects of Laser-Assisted Bioprinting. Recent advances, limitations, and future perspectives are also discussed.