ADVANCING NEURAL TISSUE ENGINEERING: A REVIEW OF 3D BIOPRINTING, BIOINKS AND TRANSLATIONAL APPROACH

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting represents a transformative platform in regenerative medicine, offering the capability to precisely replicate the structural and functional complexity of the central and peripheral nervous systems. This technology is crucial for advancing neural tissue engineering (NTE) by enabling the construction of engineered tissues that closely mimic the native neural microenvironment. This article provides a critical synthesis of current bioprinting strategies for neural tissue engineering, focusing on the comparative analysis of natural, synthetic, and hybrid polymer-based bioinks from mechanistic and translational viewpoints. Special attention is given to various printing modalities— including extrusion, inkjet, and electro-hydrodynamic jet printing—and their capacity to control spatial organization and micro-environmental cues. The review highlights key applications, such as models for brain development, neurodegenerative diseases, and glioblastoma scaffolds. Furthermore, it addresses significant translational barriers, such as host tissue integration and bioink standardization, and explores promising future directions, including artificial intelligence (AI)-guided biofabrication and organ-on-chip integration, to enhance the fidelity and therapeutic potential of bioprinted neural constructs.