Bioprinting Blog

Curious about Bioprinting? Are you someone with a curious mind who has always wondered what bioprinting is all about? You may have heard about bioprinting over the news or came across an article describing all the amazing possibilities that this technology can deliver. Bioprinting full organs for future organ replacement. Is it true? Can this be real? To help people demystify these stories and get a grounded understanding of the technology, SE3D actually launched an online introductory course in bioprinting a few years ago. The first version was launched in 2018 and I have recently revamped the course, improved some of the content and recently launched this on Udemy. Within the first week, over 50 students have signed up as the first cohort and I love to see more interest. Bioprinting: A beginner course A quick nutshell of what you will learn in this course. This beginner course will cover the most basic concepts and provide key terminologies that are used in the bioprinting ...

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

Cell-laden hydrogel microgrids x New Methods A team from the University of British Columbia (UBC) Okanagan campus has developed a new technique called direct laser bioprinting (DBLP), which allows researchers to print living tissues instrumental to cancer research. This method entails utilizing a laser diode to photo-crosslink at a wavelength of 405 nm, enabling researchers to print artificial tissues at an unprecedented resolution and level of precision [1]. The tissues printed using this method can also sustain living cells with an unparalleled 95% effectiveness, meaning that cells can successfully survive on the engineered tissue structures [2]. The UBC team postulated and determined that DBLP can be utilized in “cell-laden hydrogel microgrids, hydrogel microwells, cell seeding, and cell encapsulation,” [3] adding to its appeal as a key innovation. According to lead researcher Dr. Keekyoung Kim, these findings have numerous potential applications, “from helping people sufferi...

Why we chose open-source 3D software programs One of SE3D’s core principles is to provide a seamless user experience: we chose to focus on designing with the user in mind. When we first started designing the r3bEL (pronounced as “rebel”) bioprinter, we carefully considered what our users needed and how they would use our bioprinter to enhance their research or educational goals. We opted to use open-source 3D software programs, such as Pronterface and Slic3r, because there are many great advantages for our end-users to leverage these open-source programs. 1. It is FREE Who doesn’t like free products and services, especially when the quality is not compromised? Rather than focus on developing a new program, we sought to invest our time in end-user development and dedicate our time to creating customer resources such as curriculum and protocols. We also found that many open-source 3D software programs available were more often than not one of the best ones. 2. Crowd...

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...