Biologist U.S. Army DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center Abingdon, MD, Maryland, United States
Introduction:: The field of bioprinting has great potential for developing in-house, customizable organ models that would contribute greatly to aid in in vitro predictive toxicology efforts at the U.S. Army DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center. (CBC) Bioprinting technology utilizes both traditional additive manufacturing techniques with the relevant living cells to create physiologically relevant structures.
Materials and Methods:: This project used an Allevi1 bioprinter to print a combination of HepG2 cells and Pluronic F-127, which served as the bioink for the three-dimensional in vitro model. The model was designed in SolidWorks computer aided design software and the parameters for printing were optimized in Allevi's bioprinting software. To ensure liver cell viability and functionality after printing, a live-dead assay and human albumin ELISA assay were utilized.
Results, Conclusions, and Discussions:: Fluorescent microscopy was used to confirm the bioprinted liver cells were viable metabolically and structurally after printing. The ELISA results showed that the bioprinted model maintained liver function after 24 hours. This project was the first bioprinting effort at the U.S. Army DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center and yielded successful results to serve as a reproducible in vitro model for future toxicity screenings.
