High-Speed 3D Bioprinter May Be Game Changer for Drug Discovery

Biomedical engineers from the University of Melbourne say they have invented a bioprinter capable of fabricating structures that closely mimic the diverse tissues in the human body, from soft brain tissue to harder materials like cartilage and bone. This technology offers cancer researchers an advanced tool for replicating specific organs and tissues, significantly improving the potential to predict and develop new pharmaceutical therapies, according to the scientists, who add that this would pave the way for more advanced and ethical drug discovery by reducing the need for animal testing.

The team published its work in a study “Dynamic Interface Printing” in Nature.

“Here we introduce dynamic interface printing, a new 3D printing approach that leverages an acoustically modulated, constrained air–liquid boundary to rapidly generate centimeter-scale 3D structures within tens of seconds. Unlike volumetric approaches, this process eliminates the need for intricate feedback systems, specialized chemistry or complex optics while maintaining rapid printing speeds,” write the investigators.

Versatile methodology

“We demonstrate the versatility of this technique across a broad array of materials and intricate geometries, including those that would be impossible to print with conventional layer-by-layer methods. In doing so, we demonstrate the rapid fabrication of complex structures in situ, overprinting, structural parallelization and biofabrication utility.

“Moreover, we show that the formation of surface waves at the air–liquid boundary enables enhanced mass transport, improves material flexibility, and permits 3D particle patterning. We, therefore, anticipate that this approach will be invaluable for applications where high-resolution, scalable throughput and biocompatible printing is required.”

“In addition to drastically improving print speed, our approach enables a degree of cell positioning within printed tissues. Incorrect cell positioning is a big reason most 3D bioprinters fail to produce structures that accurately represent human tissue,” explained David Collins, PhD, associate professor and head of the Collins BioMicrosystems Lab at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

“Just as a car requires its mechanical components to be arranged precisely for proper function, so too must the cells in our tissues be organized correctly. Current 3D bioprinters depend on cells aligning naturally without guidance, which presents significant limitations.

“Our system, on the other hand, uses acoustic waves generated by a vibrating bubble to position cells within 3D printed structures. This method provides the necessary head start for cells to develop into the complex tissues found in the human body.”

Slow, layer-by-layer fabrication approach

Most commercially available 3D bioprinters rely on a slow, layer-by-layer fabrication approach, which presents several challenges, according to Collins, who noted that this method can take hours to finish, jeopardizing the viability of living cells during the printing process. Additionally, once printed, the cell structures must be carefully transferred into standard laboratory plates for analysis and imaging—a delicate step that risks compromising the integrity of these fragile structures.

The University of Melbourne research team focused on developing a sophisticated optical-based system, replacing the need for a layer-by-layer approach. The technique uses vibrating bubbles to 3D print cellular structures in seconds, which is around 350 times faster than traditional methods and enables researchers to accurately replicate human tissues with cellular resolution.

By reducing the 3D printing time and printing directly into standard lab plates, the team has been able to increase the cell survival rate, while eliminating the need for physical handling and ensuring the printed structures remain intact and sterile throughout the process.

“Biologists recognize the immense potential of bioprinting, but until now, it has been limited to applications with a very low output,” said Callum Vidler, a PhD student and lead author on this work,. “We’ve developed our technology to address this gap, offering significant advancements in speed, precision, and consistency. This creates a crucial bridge between lab research and clinical applications.

“So far, we’ve engaged with around 60 researchers from institutions including the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Harvard Medical School, and the Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”