Bio-printing Heads

About

The Challenge Gels are attractive materials for the support and delivery of cells in cell printing experiments, as the aqueous environment provided by gels supports cell viability Most commercial bioplotters in essence use a syringe to deposit cells in gels, which is slow and both 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 cells The Solution Reactive jet impingement (ReJI): jetting of 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, so have a lower viscosity, and so lower pressures can be used and the cells remain viable. This process is quick (~1000 drops per second), and easily scalable Can provide a range of droplet volumes (nL to µL) for high resolution printing 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 to create cell/gel/biomaterial structures and high resolution multi material gel matrices which will 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 UK patent application no: GB1710834.1 Filing Date: 06/07/2017 Applicant: University of Newcastle upon Tyne