<i>In situ</i> printing of biphasic jammed inks for conformal deposition on convex anatomical surfaces, with microgravity validation
Rapid<i>in situ</i>bioprinting on complex, human-scale anatomical surfaces remains a key challenge for point-of-care use. Precise biomaterial ink or bioink deposition is required not only in operating theatres but also in resource-limited environments such as rural clinics and spaceflight missions. Here, we present a strategy for rapidly and conformally delivering biphasic biomaterial inks and bioinks composed of jammed gelatin microgels, optionally suspended in a cell-laden fibrinogen matrix. The formulation exhibits yield-stress behavior, preserves shape fidelity immediately after extrusion independent of gelation kinetics, maintains cell viability above 85%, and supports proliferation. The bioink is delivered through multinozzle printheads with 16 exit nozzles. During deposition at 450 mm<sup>2</sup>·s<sup>-1</sup>, a ladder-rung channel architecture provided more uniform area coverage compared with a bifurcated design. Two printhead configurations were investigated: (1) a pneumatically actuated soft-robotic printhead with real-time adaptation to physiologically relevant convex surface curvatures, and (2) a rigid printhead integrated with a handheld bioprinter that enabled the first demonstration of biphasic jammed biomaterial ink deposition in microgravity. Considered radii of curvature and gravitational accelerations ranged from 10-100 mm and 0-1 g, respectively. Together with fibrin network formation, these results establish a translationally relevant biofabrication framework for<i>in situ</i>bioprinting in regenerative medicine, austere trauma care, and space-based healthcare.
Authors
- Aaron H. Persad (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5479-9215)
- Axel Güenther (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0592-2261)
- Teodor Veres
- Ehsan Samiei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2459-7177)
- Khaled Gaber
- Qiushi Gao
- Sushant Singh
- Lihua Wei
Institutions
- University of Toronto (CA)
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore (US)
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (JP)
- National Research Council Canada (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Biofabrication
- Published
- 2026-03-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1088/1758-5090/ae4ccd
- Primary Topic
- 3D Printing in Biomedical Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00