Research Projects

3D bioprinting is a crucial technology in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, with the choice of bioink, printing process, and 3D bioprinter influencing the success of the final construct printed. Decellularized Extracellular Matrix (dECM) bioinks have been successful in many bioprinting applications, but they have drawbacks such as availability, tissue dissimilarities, and unsuitability for large-scale in vitro studies. Cell-derived ECMs (ACM) are an attractive alternative to dECM bioinks due to their ease of acquisition, scale, and manipulation through in vitro techniques. This study aims to explore the role of ACM bioink in two areas: generation of functional myelinated nerves and uterine tissue engineering. The approach involves using a cell-free method to generate ACM from Schwann Cells (SCs) and assess their potential for neuron growth and differentiation. The study also hypothesizes that ACM derived from uterine fibroblasts will mimic the intrauterine microenvironment where embryos are embedded in the uterine wall. ACM generated from uterine fibroblasts will be 3D printed on PCL scaffolds to recreate the uterine myometrial specific microenvironment. The main objective of this study is to create tissue engineered uterine myometrial tissue patches for the repair of partially defective uterine myometrial layers, which could be a step towards developing a whole tissue engineered uterus.