Abstract
Tissue replacement using engrafting biomaterials or artificial organs to
restore lost functions post-injury is one of the leading regenerative medicine practices.
The last two decades witnessed the emergence of many promising biofabrication
approaches such as bioprinting. However, bioprinting allows the placement of complex
structures that are multi-layer (using hydrogel biomaterials), multicellular,
vascularized, and multifunctional. Different bioprinting approaches are being
developed and used to print hundreds of promising bioinks combinations into tissue-specific niches to grow living organs for translation, disease modelling, and drug
delivery. This book chapter reviews the three primary bioprinting techniques with their
advantages and limitations. Moreover, this chapter discusses the natural and synthetic
biomaterials and the additives and crosslinking methods used to fabricate functional
bioinks that boost cell growth, proliferation, migration, differentiation, and
homeostasis.