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Bioprinting our future: from development to regeneration! We study, develop, and manufacture biomaterials encapsulating human cells and bioactive molecules to produce reliable human tissues and 3D models.

To produce reliable human tissues and 3D models, our research group focuses on four main pillars:

  • Materials sciences: development of biocompatible materials, mostly hydrogels, that are produced, extracted, or reused from plants and animals, as well as humanized hydrogels developed purely using human sources, e.g., fluids, tissues, and secreted bioactive molecules. We also focus on efficient and innovative crosslinking strategies to enhance hydrogel stability for up to several months.
  • Design: We study the anatomy, physiology, and mechanical forces of the target tissue or organ to design its 3D structure with high accuracy and precision.
  • Manufacturing process: Using a combination of cutting-edge bioprinting technologies located in an ML-II Lab, we manufacture the intended 3D structure by employing biomaterials encapsulating human single cells or 3D models (spheroids or organoids).
  • Biological response: We investigate our tissues and 3D model regarding many biological responses and pathways related to cell function, fate, and the interaction with their micro- and macro-environment, from development to regeneration. We navigate throughout biological responses caused due to injuries, damage, aging, diseases, and as well as in healthy conditions.

Hence, all our projects are closely connected to clinical applications at UMCG and are at the forefront of the tissue engineering field.
Relevance

We want to make a difference in the worldwide scenario that faces a critical shortage of tissues and organs for transplantation.

Transplantation is currently the main procedure to repair or replace tissues and organs of the human body when they face failure, damage, or malfunction. However, the gap between the number of people on the transplant waiting list and the number of available donors continues to expand dramatically. In the Bioprinting and Biofabrication Lab, we develop alternative strategies to manufacture reliable tissue-like structures that can ultimately be applied as implants. Although there is a long path to be able to manufacture solid and complete organs in the lab, we have seen great advances in the tissues that we are producing and validating. Hence, we believe we are in the correct direction to fight this challenging worldwide scenario.

Contact

Department of Biomaterials & Biomedical Technology (BBT)
University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG)
Ant. Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen - Building 3215
Groningen, The Netherlands

Visiting Address

Department of Biomaterials & Biomedical Technology (BBT)
University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG)
Ant. Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen - Building 3215
Groningen, The Netherlands