Multi-scale hydrogel stereolithography for vascular tissue engineering & microphysiologic systems

dc.contributor.advisorMiller, Jordan S.en_US
dc.creatorSazer, Daniel Warrenen_US
dc.date.accessioned2021-09-17T21:04:15Zen_US
dc.date.created2021-12en_US
dc.date.issued2021-09-17en_US
dc.date.submittedDecember 2021en_US
dc.date.updated2021-09-17T21:04:16Zen_US
dc.description.abstractThroughout all the known kingdoms of life, organisms must fight against entropy to build and maintain unique structural features that drive biological function. The field of tissue engineering seeks to recreate these structure-function relationships with carefully constructed assemblies of specialized cells and extracellular matrix components like polymers and proteins. Especially difficult to produce are the hollow tubes that shuttle fluids throughout the body in the form of blood vessels, airways, and ducts. Over the past 5 years, precision needles, lasers, and projectors have been used to build hollow vessels across the full range of biological scales. Critically though, each technology typically operates independently within its own optimal dimensional regime, and there does not currently exist a unified bioprinting technology that can endow large (>100 mL) tissues with multi-scale vascular hierarchies. Here we consider a light-based bioprinter that uses high-resolution 2D projections to build multi-scale hydrogel vessel networks with internal diameters of 50-2000 μm. In projection stereolithography, XY-resolution is limited by the projector’s physical pixel size and magnifying optics. In contrast, Z-resolution is limited by the bioink’s photoabsorbing properties, which if insufficient can lead to excess light penetration and vessel occlusion. Here we detail our efforts to identify and characterize biocompatible photoabsorbing compounds, which led to the successful fabrication of perfusable hydrogel vessel networks, including multi-vascular structures reminiscent of the lungs. We extend this work with technological innovations that enable higher resolution features, providing access to microvascular networks and advanced microphysiologic systems with vascularized microwell arrays. Finally, we highlight engineering advances that support multi-material projection stereolithography bioprinting, which has historically been limited by the difficulty of preventing different liquid bioinks from unintentional mixing. In each chapter, advantages and limitations of our technologies and strategies are addressed. Specific pain-points and troubleshooting guidelines are detailed, along with hypotheses for future experiments. We expect this work will provide unambiguous evidence of the rich architectural design space and novel microphysiologic applications that stereolithography bioprinting is able to provide for academic researchers, industry professionals, and clinicians.en_US
dc.embargo.lift2023-12-01en_US
dc.embargo.terms2023-12-01en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.citationSazer, Daniel Warren. "Multi-scale hydrogel stereolithography for vascular tissue engineering & microphysiologic systems." (2021) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/111360">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/111360</a>.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/111360en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.subject3D printingen_US
dc.subjectbioprintingen_US
dc.subjectbiofabricationen_US
dc.subjectbiomaterialsen_US
dc.subjectvascular tissue engineeringen_US
dc.subjectpulmonary tissue engineeringen_US
dc.subjectendothelial cellsen_US
dc.subjectmulticellular aggregatesen_US
dc.titleMulti-scale hydrogel stereolithography for vascular tissue engineering & microphysiologic systemsen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.materialTexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentBioengineeringen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineEngineeringen_US
thesis.degree.grantorRice Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen_US
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
SAZER-DOCUMENT-2021.pdf
Size:
13.47 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
PROQUEST_LICENSE.txt
Size:
5.84 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
LICENSE.txt
Size:
2.61 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description: