Laser-based fabrication of 3D hydrogel constructs using bessel beams

Bioprinting has shown great promise for applications in the field of tissue engineering. However, the printing techniques existing today suffer from several drawbacks including long processing time, poor printing fidelity for high aspect ratio constructs, and poor cytocompatibility. In this report, we describe a laser-based bioprinting technique and demonstrate its ability to address these drawbacks. Unlike commercial Stereolithography systems, the laser used in our proposed technique is in the form of a Bessel Beam (BB) which possesses unique characteristics suitable for bioprinting applications. We demonstrate the successful fabrication of hydrogel fibers with controlled diameter, along with the encapsulation of highly viable cells. We also demonstrate the high throughput fabrication of fluorescent bead-laden tubular constructs with high fidelity and customizable cross-sections. Finally, 3D hydrogel scaffolds made of both synthetic and naturally-derived polymers were fabricated. We believe that our proposed technique could find significant applications in the field of tissue engineering for regenerative medicine and also for in vitro tissue studies.