Additively Manufactured Bioreactors for Scaffold-Coupled Electrical Stimulation
Electrical stimulation (ES) modulates diverse cellular processes, yet <i>in vitro</i> platforms often lack precision, scalability, and compatibility with 3D bioscaffolds. We present a modular bioreactor system that delivers low-voltage, bioscaffold-coupled ES via conductive graphene foam, enabling real-time waveform monitoring and live cell imaging. Components were fabricated using low-cost stereolithography with BioMed Clear resin and validated through mechanical, chemical, and cytocompatibility analyses. Printed parts exhibited high dimensional accuracy, retained mechanical integrity post-sterilization, and supported >90% cell viability. Electrical measurements confirmed ohmic behavior and signal fidelity under physiological conditions. Calcium imaging revealed a >230% fluorescence increase during stimulation, indicating a robust cellular response. This platform provides a reproducible, accessible tool for probing ES-driven behavior in electroactive 3D microenvironments.
Authors
- Olivia O. Maryon
- Brian J. Jaques (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5324-555X)
- Miranda L. Nelson
- Michael Eppel
- Olivia Nielson
- Allyssa Bateman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5097-2487)
- Flyn White
- Mone’t Sawyer
- Raquel Montenegro-Brown
- Josh Eixenberger
- Mike Hurley
- David Estrada
- Hailey Burgoyne
- Enrique Lopez
Institutions
- Boise State University (US)
- University of Idaho (US)
- Idaho National Laboratory (US)
- Micron Biomedical (United States) (US)
- Center for Advanced Energy Studies (US)
- Division of Materials Science and Engineering (AU)
- Micron (Italy) (IT)
- College of Idaho (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Applied Bio Materials
- Published
- 2026-01-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsabm.5c01381
- Primary Topic
- Neuroscience and Neural Engineering
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00