Bioprinting methods on 2-D surfaces to link 3-D cellular structures

DeCoster, who is also a research faculty member in Louisiana Tech's Institute for Micromanufacturing, will present a lecture titled, "Bioprinting interfaces for 2D and 3D cell and tissue models." The presentation will focus on the development of a novel, matrix-free method for generating 3D cell spheroids that are combining knowledge from bioprinting methods on 2D surfaces to link 3D cellular structures.

"The cells of our bodies exist in both a three dimensional (3D) environment, which is rounder, as well as places that are more two dimensional (2D) or flattened," said DeCoster. "What is so new and exciting about 3D printers in the biomedical sciences and engineering is that we can now enable our imagination to convert a good idea into something that is printable and testable in 3D, and could have significant impacts on human health.

"3D printers are now replicating materials that are compatible with biology and medicine such as delivery of drugs to fight off cancer or growth-promoting materials that can be used for tissue engineering to heal a wound or repair a damaged part of the body."

In his laboratory, DeCoster says he and his team are using 3D printers and other materials to generate cell-friendly building blocks to control and study cells as groups both in 3-dimensions and in 2-dimensions.

"We feel this is important because we need to understand how to put cells together to grow better tissues or repair them, and also to understand how damaged or diseased cells behave," DeCoster said.

"We need to understand both the 2D and 3D environments since different parts of the body use different materials to function, and this complexity of materials will most likely also be needed in bioprinting," explains DeCoster. "In my presentation at the International Bioprinting Congress, I look forward to sharing the research we're doing at Louisiana Tech on how normal cells of the brain as well as cancer cells (such as in brain tumors), can be studied using materials from 3D printers and how we combine those materials with cells."