3D and 4D Bioprinting Technology for Tissue Engineering Applications

Abstract

Regenerative medicine aims to restore, regenerate, or replace tissues or organs affected by disease, trauma, or congenital disabilities. Tissue engineering is one approach used to accomplish these objectives. Tissue engineering is commonly associated with the use of cells placed on tissue scaffolds in developing new living tissue for medicinal purposes, but it is not limited to cell and tissue scaffold applications. It is the procedure of designing tissues in the body in a laboratory and implanting them in patients. Tissue engineering currently plays a minor role in clinical outcomes. People with the disease have extra bladders, tendons, skin grafts, and tiny aorta, as well as an entire bronchial tube transplant, but the therapies are experimental and costly. Regarding this, three-dimensional (3D) and 4D bioprinting methods are beneficial for the production of scaffolds with different shapes, high accuracy, high speed, and control over the size and also porosity. In this chapter, the principal and most popularly used types of 3D bioprinting methods are explained, as well as a summary of bioink compositions in 3D and 4D bioprinting. Eventually, current problems and changing demands are highlighted. Furthermore, the most recent applications in organ and tissue bioprinting are discussed. Lastly, current issues, future requirements, and the potential of bioprinting are reviewed. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.