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In attempts to engineer human tissues in the lab, bio-mimicking the cellular arrangement of natural tissues is critical to achieve the required biological and mechanical form and function. Although biofabrication employing cellular bioinks continues to evolve as a promising solution over polymer scaffold based techniques in creating complex multi-cellular tissues, the ability of most current biofabrication processes to mimic the requisite cellular arrangement is limited. In this study, we propose a novel biofabrication approach that uses forces generated by bulk standing acoustic waves (BSAW) to non-deleteriously align cells within viscous bioinks. We computationally determine the acoustic pressure pattern generated by BSAW and experimentally map the effects of BSAW frequency (0.71, 1, 1.5, 2 MHz) on the linear arrangement of two types of human cells (adipose-derived stem cells and MG63) in alginate. Computational results indicate a non-linear relationship between frequency and acoustic pressure amplitude. Experimental results demonstrate that the spacing between adjacent strands of aligned cells is affected by frequency (p < 0.0001), and this effect is independent of the cell type. Lastly, we demonstrate a synergistic technique of gradual crosslinking in tandem with the BSAW-induced alignment to entrap cells within crosslinked hydrogels. This study represents an advancement in engineered tissue biofabrication aimed at bio-mimicry.
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Construction of 3D-Engineered Glioma Tissues Using the Acoustic Patterning Device
Abstract Cell patterning techniques play a pivotal role in the development of three-dimensional (3D) engineered tissues, holding significant promise in regenerative medicine, drug screening, and disease research. Current techniques encompass various mechanisms, such as nanoscale topographic patterning, mechanical loading, chemical coating, 3D inkjet printing, electromagnetic fields, and acoustic waves. In this study, we introduce a unique standing bulk waves-based acoustic cell patterning device designed for constructing anisotropic-engineered glioma tissues containing acoustically patterned human glioblastoma cell U251. Our device features two orthogonal pairs of piezoelectric transducers securely mounted on a customized holder. The energy of standing bulk waves generated from these transducers can be transmitted into the medium in a Petri dish through its bottom wall. Cells in the medium can be directed to the local minima of Gor’kov potential fields and trapped by the resultant acoustic radiation force. Through proof-of-concept experiments, we validate the functionality of our acoustic patterning device and assess the morphology and differentiation of U251 cells within the engineered glioma tissues. Our findings reveal that cells can be arranged in different distributions, such as parallel-line-like and lattice-like patterns. Moreover, the aligned cells exhibit more obvious elongation along the cell alignment orientation compared to the result of a control group. We anticipate that this study will catalyze the advancement in contactless cell patterning technologies within tissue engineering, facilitating the development of engineered tissues for applications in regenerative medicine and disease research.
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- PAR ID:
- 10572717
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- Date Published:
- ISBN:
- 978-0-7918-8845-2
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Washington, DC, USA
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.1115/DETC2024-141907
