An Organ Biofabrication Line: Enabling Technology for Organ Printing. Part II: from Encapsulators to Biofabrication Line

3D bio-printing technology for body tissues and organs regeneration

In the last decade, the use of new technologies in the reconstruction of body tissues has greatly developed. Utilising stem cell technology, nanotechnology and scaffolding design has created new opportunities in tissue regeneration. The use of accurate engineering design in the creation of scaffolds, including 3D printers, has been widely considered. Three-dimensional printers, especially high precision bio-printers, have opened up a new way in the design of 3D tissue engineering scaffolds. In this article, a review of the latest applications of this technology in this promising area has been addressed.

The role of information technology in the future of 3D biofabrication

Information technology (IT) is ubiquitous in recent human existence. The aim of this article is to present some basic concepts and specific demands that biofabrication may place on IT. Some of these technologies are already available, with a need for improvement, while others will need to be newly developed. Technologies that clearly, precisely and unambiguously specify a tissue or organ are unavailable. A move from expensive in vitro and in vivo assays toward in silico technologies will allow for exhaustive tests and optimization of human substitutes by means of computer biological systems. To complete this substitution, biofabrication lines shall be established; integrating what was planned and designed into physical processes executed by automatic machines. Biofabrication will impose great challenges, since many tools will need to be developed by engineers together with biologists. Many other concerns and challenges will be faced in the path to an autonomous biofabrication line, including cybernetic and biological safety issues. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to shed some light and establish a primary nexus between the present and future applications of IT in biofabrication.