CBE Seminar (Zoom): 3D Bioprinting to Modulate Chemical, Mechanical and Biological Properties of Engineered Tissues

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/VxjZt4ov95m8MBJp7

Abstract: In this talk, I will present our laboratory’s recent research efforts in developing rapid 3D bioprinting methods to create 3D tissue constructs using a variety of biomaterials and cells. These 3D-printed scaffolds are functionalized with precise control of micro-architecture, mechanical (e.g. stiffness), chemical and biological properties. Such functional scaffolds allow us to investigate cell-microenvironment interactions at nano- and micro-scales in response to integrated mechanical and chemical stimuli. From these fundamental studies, we have been creating both in vitro and in vivo precision tissues for tissue regeneration, disease modeling and drug discovery [1,2]. Examples including 3D-bioprinted liver and heart models will be discussed. I will also showcase 3D-printed biomimetic scaffolds for treating spinal cord injury [3]. Throughout the presentation, I will discuss engineering perspectives in terms of design innovation, biomaterials, mechanics and scalable biomanufacturing.

1. Ma X, Qu X, Zhu W, Li Y, Yuan S, Zhang H, Liu J, Wang P, Lai C, Zanella F, Feng G, Sheikh F, Chien S, Chen S, “A Deterministically Patterned Biomimetic Human iPSC-derived Hepatic Model via Rapid 3D Bioprinting,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 2016, Vol. 113 (no. 8), pp. 2206-2211, 2016.
2. Liu J, Miller K, Ma X, Dewan S, Lawrence N, Whang G, Chung P, McCulloch A, and Chen S, “Direct 3D BioPrinting of Cardiac Microtissues Mimicking Native Myocardium,” Biomaterials, Vol. 256, 120204 (1-10), 2020.
3. Koffler J, Zhu W, Qu X, Platoshyn O, Dulin J, Brock J, Graham L, Lu P, Sakamoto J, Marsala M, Chen S, Tuszynski M, “Biomimetic 3D Printed Scaffolds for Spinal Cord Injury,” Nature Medicine, Vol. 25, pp. 263-269, 2019.  

Bio:  Shaochen Chen is a professor and chair in the Department of NanoEngineering, professor in the Department of Bioengineering and the founding co-director of the Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Center at UC San Diego (UCSD). Before joining UCSD, Chen had been a professor and a Henderson Centennial Endowed Faculty Fellow in Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin from 2001 to 2010. Between 2008 and 2010, he served as the director for the Nanomanufacturing Program of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Chen’s primary research interests include 3D printing and bioprinting, biomaterials and nanomaterials, stem cell and regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering. He has published over 160 papers in top journals.

Among his numerous awards, Chen has received the NSF CAREER award, ONR Young Investigator award and NIH Edward Nagy New Investigator award. For his seminal work in 3D printing, bioprinting and nanomanufacturing, he received the Milton C. Shaw Manufacturing Research Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in 2017. Chen is a fellow of AAAS, AIMBE, ASME, SPIE and ISNM. He is a co-founder of Allegro 3D, Inc. commercializing 3D bioprinting technologies. 

Host: Professor Szu-Wen Wang