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Research Progress and Applications of 3D Bioprinting in Constructing Organoids and Organs-on-Chips

September 24, 2025 Services EFL 3D Bioprinting and Biofabrication 229

It introduces four main 3D bioprinting technologies: inkjet, extrusion, laser-assisted, and stereolithography.

The Main Types of 3D Bioprinting Technology

The increasing demand in medicine and bioengineering for three-dimensional (3D) models that accurately replicate the complex structures and biological functions of the human body is being met by 3D bioprinting. This cutting-edge technology utilizes bio-inks containing cells, growth factors, and biomaterials to construct complex tissues with biomimetic functions and stable mechanical properties. It demonstrates significant advantages over traditional 2D models and animal models in areas such as disease modeling, drug discovery, and precision medicine. However, its path to commercialization faces challenges, including bioethical and legal issues, as well as a lack of innovation in new biomaterials. A team from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, led by Han Xinwei and Liu Zaoqu, published a review titled "3D Bioprinting for Engineering Organoids and Organ-on-a-Chip: Developments and Applications" in Medicinal Research Reviews. Their article systematically summarizes the fundamental techniques and advantages of 3D bioprinting for creating functional tissue models like organoids and organs-on-chips, explores its broad applications in drug discovery, screening, and precision therapy, and identifies key constraints and future research directions.

The E-jet 3D printing device constructs and characterizes a 3D bioprinted tumor microenvironment by printing colorectal cancer cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and tumor endothelial cells. This environment provides a critical framework for dynamic interactions among stromal cells, cancer cells, immune cells, and extracellular matrix proteins. These interactions play significant roles in promoting antitumor activities such as fibroblast activation, extracellular matrix regulation, immune suppression, and angiogenesis. Additionally, under specific conditions, tumor cells can induce the transformation of normal fibroblasts and endothelial cells into cancer-associated fibroblasts and tumor endothelial cells, respectively.

Construction and Characterization of a 3D Bioprinted Tumor Microenvironment

This demonstrates the application of 3D bioprinted models in drug toxicity screening. Current drug toxicity screening primarily relies on animal testing, but animal responses do not always accurately represent human reactions. By digesting surgically resected hepatocellular carcinoma samples into cell suspensions, filtering them, and mixing with sodium alginate and gelatin to form bioink, patient-derived 3D bioprinted hepatocellular carcinoma models can be generated in the modeling chamber of a 3D cell printer. This approach can improve drug toxicity prediction and reduce the number of animals required for human clinical trials.

Application of 3D Bioprinted Models in Drug Toxicity Screening

This work presents the application of 3D bioprinting technology, which enables the reconfiguration of cells, growth factors, and biomaterials into three-dimensional organs and tissues. This includes models such as 3D bioprinted organoids, organ-on-a-chip systems, and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived organoids. These models can be developed in a high-throughput manner via bioprinting for applications in drug discovery, drug screening, and personalized medicine. Their integration is designed to bridge the gap between preclinical research and clinical outcomes, thereby optimizing strategies for precision medicine.

The Application of 3D Bioprinting Technology

3D bioprinting technology has achieved extensive and profound applications in the biomedical field. It overcomes the limitations of two-dimensional cell culture by enabling precise simulation of microenvironments with high reproducibility, demonstrating significant advantages over traditional cell culture methods. This technology allows accurate deposition of cells and biomaterials to recapitulate the complexity of tumor microenvironments, facilitates on-demand biofabrication of autologous tissues and organs, and enables the creation of co-culture constructs. Its application in organoids and organ-on-a-chip systems enhances the throughput of tissue engineering and biofabrication processes, while also supporting the production of relevant models, generation of drug delivery vehicles, and simulation of cancer drug sensitivity to inform treatment selection—all while reducing reliance on animal testing. However, broader implementation requires addressing challenges including bioethical considerations, development of novel biomaterials, maintenance of informed consent and confidentiality principles, and advancement of commercial translation.

Source: https://doi.org/10.1002/med.22121