University of Virginia Patent Foundation

Liheng Cai

Jinchang Zhu

Systems and methods for 3D bioprinting of hydrogel voxels enable microfluidics-assisted digital assembly of spherical particles (DASP). The systems include a 3D motion system, a microfluidic printhead coupled to the 3D motion system, an extrusion device fluidly coupled to the microfluidic printhead, and a sacrificial support matrix. The sacrificial support matrix is designed to support the hydrogel voxels during printing and cross-link the hydrogel voxels. The system includes bio-inks comprising hydrogel compositions having independently controllable viscoelasticity and mesh size. The bio-inks are extruded by the extrusion device and microfluidic printhead to produce the hydrogel voxels. Exploiting the microfluidic printhead enables printing individual spherical hydrogel voxels with diameters from 150 micrometers (μm) to 1200 μm. Positioning and interconnection of the hydrogel voxels can be precisely controlled. The systems and methods produce free-standing 3D structures and can be used for producing functional tissue mimics.

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Charlottesville, VA, United States of America

Liheng Cai