Perspectives on the future of biofabrication: insights from the winter school for biofabrication

Abstract Biofabrication is a multidisciplinary field that integrates diverse technologies to create three-dimensional structures composed of living cells, biomaterials, and other biological components. One of its main goals is the realization of functional tissue constructs with hierarchical architectures, as observed in native biological tissues, for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, as well as for in vitro modelling. Given its multidisciplinary nature, continued collaboration among experts from various scientific and technological disciplines remains essential to address the challenges ahead and to achieve the ambitious objectives of this rapidly advancing field. Reflecting on the progress made since the first bioprinting attempts, one can only envision the achievements that biofabrication may accomplish in the coming decades. Symposia such as the Alpine winter school for Biofabrication, bring together leading experts and early-stage researchers who collectively shape the future of the discipline through innovation and discussion. During the 2025 edition of the winter school, participants exchanged knowledge on current advances, challenges, and future perspectives in biofabrication. Guided by experts in this field, early-stage researchers discussed and summarized their views on five key topics: (i) the future of devices and technology in biofabrication, (ii) current trends and opportunities in material development, (iii) impact on society, ethics, and communication, (iv) applications and clinical translation, and (v) education and skillsets required for successful research. Their perspectives summarized here, address critical questions about future methodology, material development, and technological improvements that will continue to shape the evolution of biofabrication. Furthermore, aspects such as the impact on society, as well as the required skillset and education for future scientists working in the field are discussed.

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Journal
Biofabrication
Published
2026-10-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1088/1758-5090/ae6c5d
Primary Topic
3D Printing in Biomedical Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Perspectives on the future of biofabrication: insights from the winter school for biofabrication

Nikolas F. B. Galensowske, Michał Wszola, Jagoda Litowczenko, Catherine Le Visage et al.
Biofabrication
3D Printing in Biomedical Research
article

Perspectives on the future of biofabrication: insights from the winter school for biofabrication

Nikolas F. B. Galensowske, Michał Wszola, Jagoda Litowczenko, Catherine Le Visage, Rathina Vel, Khoon S. Lim, Marcy Zenobi‐Wong, Andrea Ulloa‐Fernández, Justin John Cooper-White, Jason A. Burdick, Heinz R. Redl, Wojciech Święszkowski, Valentina Pavanati, Nathan Carpentier, Mina Petrovic, Marica Marković, Petra J. Kluger, Jasper Van Hoorick, Lorenzo Moroni, Pavla Hájovská, Stephan Schandl, Antonia Georgopoulou, Oliver Kopinski-Grünwald, Mohammad Jouybar, Inga Jurgelāne, Imanda Jayawardena, Sing Yian Chew, Simon Sayer, Aleksandr Ovsianikov, Christopher Riedmüller, Felix Pointner, Viktoria Schoen, Corinna Barella, Alessia Zanacchi, Alice Salvadori, Jürgen Groll, Anastasiia Budaeva, Thomas Schmidt, Maryam Mousavi Movahed, Koichi Nakayama, Marco Lai
article en

Abstract

Abstract Biofabrication is a multidisciplinary field that integrates diverse technologies to create three-dimensional structures composed of living cells, biomaterials, and other biological components. One of its main goals is the realization of functional tissue constructs with hierarchical architectures, as observed in native biological tissues, for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, as well as for in vitro modelling. Given its multidisciplinary nature, continued collaboration among experts from various scientific and technological disciplines remains essential to address the challenges ahead and to achieve the ambitious objectives of this rapidly advancing field. Reflecting on the progress made since the first bioprinting attempts, one can only envision the achievements that biofabrication may accomplish in the coming decades. Symposia such as the Alpine winter school for Biofabrication, bring together leading experts and early-stage researchers who collectively shape the future of the discipline through innovation and discussion. During the 2025 edition of the winter school, participants exchanged knowledge on current advances, challenges, and future perspectives in biofabrication. Guided by experts in this field, early-stage researchers discussed and summarized their views on five key topics: (i) the future of devices and technology in biofabrication, (ii) current trends and opportunities in material development, (iii) impact on society, ethics, and communication, (iv) applications and clinical translation, and (v) education and skillsets required for successful research. Their perspectives summarized here, address critical questions about future methodology, material development, and technological improvements that will continue to shape the evolution of biofabrication. Furthermore, aspects such as the impact on society, as well as the required skillset and education for future scientists working in the field are discussed.

BiofabricationVol. 18(4)
University of Stuttgart (DE), Linköping University (SE), Warsaw University of Technology (PL), The University of Sydney (AU), University of Nottingham (GB), The University of Queensland (AU), Nanyang Technological University (SG), Saga University (JP), Politecnico di Torino (IT), University of Colorado Boulder (US), Riga Technical University (LV), University of Würzburg (DE), University Medical Center Utrecht (NL), Maastricht University (NL), ETH Zurich (CH), Polymer Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK), Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (DE), Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (DE), Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration (AT), The American University of Vietnam (VN), Tyndall National Institute (IE), Reutlingen University (DE), Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (PL), University of Naples Federico II (IT), Medical University of Vienna (AT), Eindhoven University of Technology (NL), University of Genoa (IT), Nantes Université (FR)
Openalex Percentile: Top 22%
3D Printing in Biomedical Research
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