Bioprinting Blog

Bioprinting algae? How it all began... In 2015, a group of researchers at the Institute of Food Technology and Bioprocess Engineering and the Center for Translational Bone, Joint and Soft Tissue Research at the Technische Universitat Dresden (TUD) in Germany introduced the idea of "Green Bioprinting". Using bioprinting, they immobilized microalgae in hydrogels made of alginate and methylcellulose, and demonstrated that they were able to achieve stable growth, in contrast to suspension cultures that were dependent on temperature and illumination conditions. Practical applications of this work would include bioproduction of photosynthetic microorganisms for renewable energy, chemicals or pharmaceutical drugs. To learn about this work -  read more . Today... Fast forward 5 years later, a group of researchers from UC San Diego and University of Cambridge showed how microalgae can be bioprinted to create bionic corals of the future - read more . By using a very unique approac...

Interviewed by Cecillia Wong Dr. Shweta Agarwala is a research scientist at Singapore Centre for 3D Printing in Nayang Technological University . She combines her multidisciplinary knowledge in electronics, materials science, manufacturing and bio-engineering for materials and new-age products catering to wearables, flexible electronics and bioelectronics. She is a leading innovator in 3D printing and additive manufacturing space for electronics and biotechnology. Cecillia: Tell us about some of the exciting things your lab is currently working on. Dr. Agarwala: My current research is directed towards bioprinting, bioelectronics, and printed electronics. My rendezvous with bioprinting is quite new and I am trying to understand how process control can be exploited to arrange multi-materials in desired architectures and incorporate additional functionalities with full spatial control. I am especially passionate about bioelectronics, an area of research that promises to bring two dis...

Dear Bioenthusiasts and STEM Advocates, Thank you following us through our three year journey with Blogger! As we've grown from a small startup sponsored by the National Science Foundation to the established company with a wide range of industry partners. SE3D has a commitment to bringing quality content in a timely manner. We have decided to change our bi-monthly blog to a weekly blog with new content focused on bioprinting industry highlights, researcher spotlights, Women In STEM, and biomaterials. It is with this transition that we have decided to focus solely on updating our blog on our website . Thank you for all your support. Don't worry, all the old content on Blogger will remain but you can follow our new content  here . Thank you, Team SE3D

If you are a big fan of 3D printing, in particular its applications in the healthcare sector, then this is a conference you simply cannot miss. I met Dr. Jenny Chen, the founder and CEO of 3DHEALS, 3 years ago and I can still remember the resonating energy and vibe I got from her very first 3DHEALS event in downtown San Francisco. “What an amazing woman,” I thought, and “what a great initiative to have for this ecosystem!” In April 2017, Jenny organized the first ever 3DHEALS Global Conference and to date, it is the largest 3D printing for healthcare conference in the world. With her relentless effort and amazing team, Jenny was able to gather healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, developers, designers, regulatory experts, and investors all in one place. It was a huge success and I have no doubt that the 2018 conference will be another great one. Why should I attend? 1. Great talks by great speakers Last year’s panel of speakers blew me away and this year, I am ...

Originating from Ancient India, Henna (also known as Mehndi) is a body art where decorative designs are drawn onto a person’s body using a paste created from the leaves of a henna plant. It is commonly used as an accessory on special occasions such as weddings and holidays. Some of the holidays celebrated with henna are Purim,  Diwali , Passover, and various saints’ days.   Where can you get henna tattoos? Henna has historically been used in the Arabian Peninsula, Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Carthage, and North Africa. There are independent henna artists in the United States. However, hiring a henna artist can cost you anywhere upwards of $75/hr. How will 3D printing affect henna printing? The application of henna is very demanding. It is traditionally applied by highly skilled artists with a steady hand as once the material is applied, it will stain the skin almost immediately. The tattoos can last up to three weeks without fading. It ...

Dr. Luciano Paulino Silva is a senior researcher at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa). He has 18 years of experience in scientific research and development and has published 130 scientific papers in the field of bioprospecting, nanobiotechnology, and beyond. Dr. Silva is also an alumni (affiliated) member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, editorial board member and reviewer of multiple scientific journals,  consultant for Brazilian governmental agencies and a full professor of Nanoscience and Nanobiotechnology, as well as Molecular Biology at the Institute of Biological Sciences of the University of Brasilia. Maya: Dr. Silva, please tell us about the research work at your laboratory. Silva: The Laboratory of Nanobiotechnology - LNANO at Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (Brasilia, DF, Brazil) focuses on research that utilizes nanotechnology to support or enhance biological systems. These projects include the characterization of b...

Spirulina is an organic superfood that eliminates diseases, reduces cholesterol, and energizes you. If losing weight or eating healthy is important to you, then spirulina is something you might want to look into. Spirulina was originally found and utilized by Aztecs in the 16th century and later rediscovered in Lake Texcoco by French researchers. It is high in protein, and carries many important antioxidants and vitamins, such as Vitamin B-12 and iron. Unlike many other superfoods, fresh spirulina is odorless and nearly tasteless, making it a great addition to almost any food. In a recent SE3D  experiment , spirulina was mixed with chocolate to create a superfood chocolate print that was indistinguishable from a normal print. Furthermore, it is extremely affordable to buy. Grown on a farm or taken from a lake, this algae is not in short supply. It has no harmful side-effects and is a natural appetite suppressant. Recently, Robert Henrikson opened the first spirulin...

Biofilms Biofilms, complex extracellular structures created by bacterial colonies, pose a serious threat to human health. They are responsible for survival and antibiotic resistance of many bacteria, and lead to serious infectious diseases such as cystic fibrosis and endocarditis. Preventing or destroying biofilms is an important area of research, and could help cure these diseases. A major challenge in studying biofilms is our ability to create them reproducibly and precisely in the laboratory so that experimental results are reliable. The r3bEL Bioprinter can mimic biofilms through culturing and printing bacteria in an alginate medium onto a petri dish or another substrate. These highly reproducible biofilm mimicries can then be tested for effects of key variables  and of antibacterial substances. About me I am Shruteek Mairal, a sophomore at Irvington High School in Fremont. Science and technology have always fascinated me, and in the spring of 2016, I came to k...

Appetizer There has always been a marriage of food and science throughout history. Before modern biotechnology was used to produce desired traits in plants and animals, farmers would raise and breed livestock that produced the most milk or best marbling. Food scientists also help determine each ingredient’s optimal condition for harvesting, preservation, and cooking.  From molecular gastronomy to chocolate printing, science has radically changed how we cook, present, and taste food. Entree 3D printers and bioprinters are revolutionizing the food industry by unlocking unlimited potentials for taste, touch and sight. 1.     Taste 3D food printers with specific focuses are already in circulation such as the successfully crowd-funded Pancakebot or Bocusini. 3D printing food does not require any sacrifices in taste. In fact with the help of several techniques from molecular gastronomy, 3D printed food has the potential to taste even better than regula...

BY MAYASARI LIM, PH.D. The Technology  Additive manufacturing has really transformed many areas of our lives today from desktop 3D printers to food printers that could produce custom designed personalized nutritional meals in every home one day. This month, our team has decided to take a closer look at the evolution of Food Printing. As far as food printers go, the use of additive manufacturing techniques spans from the basic extrusion based systems to powder and liquid binding deposition techniques. This allows the end-user to leverage the different material properties to achieve simple to complex shapes that can be created using each technique. In extrusion based food printers which may or may not involve melting, common materials that can be printed are typically soft materials like cheese, peanut butter, dough and chocolate which requires melting. One of the key challenges in this approach is the need for materials that are being printed to be viscous enough to hold its...

Ear scaffold printed by r3bEL bioprinter Plastic widget printed by a typical 3D printer By Mayasari Lim, Ph.D. When the r3bEL from SE3D is on display at CES , NSTA or other educational events focused on STEM, the first impression is that it’s another 3D printer like those manufactured by MakerBot or Dremel . As you move in closer and notice that there is no spool for filament, one becomes a bit puzzled and asks the question, “Dr. Lim, this is a 3D printer right?” In some ways but its features and applications are very different than the 3D printers most educators are familiar with. While the r3bEL may have the basic physical structure and platform resembling a 3D printer, it has certain distinct features that cannot be produced in 3D printers typically found in schools. The r3bEL is actually classified as a “bioprinter” for the following; F ACT #1 – It does not print plastic! Most desktop 3D printers like MakerBot are based on fused deposition ...

Everyday proteins - this is Aquaporin Did you know that our kidney processes over 100 litres of water everyday? Under normal cell functioning conditions, a typical cell membrane will not be able facilitate so much water through the cell. Cells in the kidney need a special transport protein called Aquaporin to facilitate rapid transport of water in and out of the cell so that the kidney can perform its function in water reabsorption. Fig 1. AQP-1 crystal structure from PDB:1IH5 Structure Aquaporin is a tetrameric protein that consists of four identical monomers. Each monomer has six transmembrane α-helices arranged in a right-handed bundle and orient themselves alongside the other monomers to form four water channels (Fig. 1). The 3D printed model is obtained from the Protein Data Bank (PDB ID: 1FQY) and can be downloaded from our Thingiverse page.  http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:720113 3D Models To highlight the uniqueness of this protein, downlo...