Bio-printing Heads
Mixing two gel precursor jets in mid-air to land on a substrate as gel.
The Challenge
- gels are attractive materials for the support and delivery of cells in cell printing experiments.
- the aqueous environment provided by gels supports cell viability
- most commercial bioplotters in essence use a syringe to deposit cells in gels
- this is slow and the pressures and shear forces can harm the cells
- there is a need for new methods of depositing cells in gels which are faster and have a higher yield of live cell
The Solution
We have developed Reactive jet impingement (ReJI). It jets two gel precursors at one another such that they mix in mid-air and land on the substrate as gel. This means that the deposited materials are still liquid when they are processed. The materials have a lower viscosity, and so lower pressures can be used and the cells remain viable.
- this process is quick (~1000 drops per second)
- the technique is easily scalable
- it can provide a range of droplet volumes (nL to µL) for high resolution printing
- print gels with a cell concentration of 40 million cells/mL routinely achievable
- concentrations up to 90 million cells/mL have been demonstrated
- Increased speed of maturation of micro-tissues when compared to syringe base technologies
- potential to vary cell type and cell density, gel type and concentration, and to add nano and microparticles
- has potential to allow for the rapid creation of complex gradient biological structures
- is a controllable “drop on demand” system with no waste
- currently developed as single and multiple (8 jets/4 materials produced) heads at Newcastle University
The Opportunity
- potential for use as part of a bioprinter.
- could create cell/gel/biomaterial structures and high resolution multi material gel matrices
- potential to support understanding of disease progression, drug testing, personalised medicine, and tissue engineering
- seeking collaborators interested in commercialising the print head for bioprinting applications, through collaborative research and/or licensing
Intellectual Property
A GB patent application has been filed for this technology.
- title: Printing apparatus and method
- application No: PCT/GB2018/051908
- filing Date: 06/07/2017
Contact
Dr Luke Judd: Luke.Judd@newcastle.ac.uk