Extrusion-Based 3D Bioprinting of Gradients of Stiffness, Cell Density, and Immobilized Peptide Using Thermogelling Hydrogels
Merve Kuzucu, Grace Vera, Marco Beaumont, Sascha B. Fischer, Pan Wei, V. Prasad Shastri, Aurélien Forget
Abstract
, biomaterials-based engineering solutions to reproduce the gradients observed in tissues are necessary. We present a platform for the 3D bioprinting of functionally graded biomaterials based on carboxylated agarose, a bioink amendable by extrusion bioprinting. Using this bioink, objects with a gradient of stiffness and gradient of cell concentration were printed. Functionalization of carboxylated agarose with maleimide moieties that react in minutes with a cysteine-terminated cell-adhesion peptide allowed us to print objects with a gradient of an immobilized peptide. This approach paves the way toward the development of tissue mimics with gradients.