BME Lecture Series (Zoom): Andrew Lee, FuildForm 3D Printing

FRESH 3D Bioprinting: Bridging the Gap Between Form and Function in Biofabrication

Abstract: Additive manufacturing for regenerative medicine holds the potential to biofabricate physiologically relevant functional tissues on demand. However, a major hurdle for biofabrication is the difficulty of assembling soft materials in complex three-dimensional geometries. Many of these materials are critical in native tissue for providing structural, mechanical and biochemical cues to surrounding cells. Poor control of material-specific rheology, gelation kinetics and mechanical properties of these soft materials has limited the success of additive manufacturing in regenerative medicine. In this talk, we will introduce FluidForm’s FRESH bioprinting technology and how this technology enables high-fidelity, high-resolution printing of soft biomaterials in complex geometries. We will describe how FRESH has been leveraged to bioprint functional tissues that have significant implications for developing clinically relevant regenerative therapies. Finally, we will discuss the future of additive manufacturing in biomedical research and how interdisciplinary research will be critical to the advancement of biofabrication. 

Bio: Andrew Lee is currently the head of Bioprinting and co-founder at FluidForm. He received his doctorate in biomedical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. His thesis work was focused on muscle tissue engineering, leveraging bioprinting to fabricate skeletal and cardiac tissue models with complex tissues architecture as well as physiologically relevant contractile functions. More broadly, Lee is interested in the intersection between biomaterials, cellular biomechanics, computational design and tissue development for the creation of functional cellular and tissue systems with composition and architectures that resemble those of native tissues.