Sacrificial Biomaterials for Vascularized/Neuralized Organ 3D Printing

Abstract

Additive manufacturing, also known as three-dimensional (3D) printing, relates to several technologies, which has shown great potential in the manufacture of organoids and even complex bioartificial organs. Till present, a major challenge for 3D printing complex organs with vascularized/neuralized networks is the competitive requirements with respect to structural biomimeticability, material integrability, and functional manufacturability. Over the last several years, 3D printing based on sacrificial templates has become a preferred approach for building hierarchical vascular networks, and has made considerable progress. In this review, we mainly reviewed the latest developments and applications of 3D printing based on the strategy of sacrificial biomaterials, discussed the basic principles of sacrificial templates, and looked forward to the broad prospects of this approach.

Keywords: bioartificial organs, three-dimensional (3D) printing, sacrificial biomaterials, organ manufacturing, vascularization, neurogenesis