TissueSpace - Investigation of textile manufacturing and biophilic joining processes as a platform technology for the production of fiberreinforced, three-dimensional, biological tissues

• Applicants: Professor Dr.-Ing. Andreas Blaeser; Professor Dr.-Ing. Thomas Gries
• Subject Area: Biomaterials ; Lightweight Construction, Textile Technology ; Primary Shaping and Reshaping Technology, Additive Manufacturing
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 527466060

Due to their high water content and structural and biochemical similarity to the natural extracellular matrix, hydrogel matrices represent the gold standard for 3D culture of living cells in the field of 3D bioprinting and tissue engineering. However, in addition to their manifold advantages, they exhibit only low mechanical strength and tend to deform. In order to still generate macroscopic tissue composites that satisfy the mechanical stresses of different target tissues (e.g. bone, muscle or ligaments) in the future, novel reinforcement strategies need to be explored. Within the scope of the proposed research project, so-called spacer fabrics will be used for this purpose. The fabrics will be filled with cell-laden hydrogel mixtures using an automated 3D bioprinting process with high spatial resolution. Textile fiber reinforcement is already successfully established in the field of tissue engineering. However, so far it has been limited to the biofabrication of planar tissue structures (such as heart valves) or thin-walled, cylindrical tissues (such as blood vessels). By using spacer fabrics, this successful approach will now be transferred to the biofabrication of voluminous, three-dimensional tissue composites. The investigation of the complex interactions that result from fibers, open porous cover surfaces and hydrogel matrices in the sol and gel state and how these affect the mechanical resilience of the generated hydrogel-textile composites are the subject of the requested funding. The overall goal of this project is to gain new insights into the fundamental properties of a spacer fabric as a scaffold structure for maintaining hierarchical structures in 3D-bioprinted tissue substitutes under mechanical loading. The hypothesis is investigated, whether combining the hydrogel with a spacer fabric can maintain the hierarchical arrangement of hydrogel and cells generated by 3D-bioprinting under loading, which would create resilience to load-induced deformation. Finally, the effects of differently oriented and functionalized fibers (cover areas and orthogonally arranged pole threads) on the development and functionality (viability, proliferation and migration behavior) of 3D cell cultures (monoculture and coculture) are explored. Successful research of the outlined interactions between fibers, hydrogels and living cells can establish a new platform technology. In the future, this could be used for load-optimized design and targeted production of a new generation of tissue substitutes.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants