NANOTECHNOLOGY AND 3D BIOPRINTING FOR NEURAL TISSUE REGENERATION - 3D Bioprinting and Nanotechnology in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine - page 314

FIGURE 14.9
3D printed aligned PEG-DA neural construct sheet with highly conductive graphene nanoplatelets: (A) is a 3D
CAD model of aligned neural construct sheet; (B) Photo image of 3D printed neural construct with graphene
nanoplatelets; (C-D) SEM images of the 3D printed scaffold with graphene nanoplatelets at low and high
magnifications; and (E) schematic illustration of the 3D nerve scaffold in implantation configuration.
Yu, 2013 ). These techniques provide great precision over spatial placement of cells within the in-
ternal architecture of fabricated scaffolds ( Melchels et al., 2012 ). Multiple cell types can be printed
collectively thus producing a highly biomimetic ECM microenvironment for facilitated neural tissue
regeneration.
Bioinks are a key element for ink-jet bioprinting where great attention is placed on minimizing cell
settling and aggregation. An ideal bioink should exhibit acceptable cell viability while meeting the
physical requirements necessary for printing ( Derby, 2010 ). In a recent study by Ferris et al., a novel
bioink was created and exhibited considerable cell viability, including highly sensitive neural cells after