Cell sheet as a bioink for 3D bioprinting

Cell sheet technology is a growing area in tissue engineering. It enables a sheet of interconnected cells which is enriched with cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell-cell interactions. Poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) coating based thermoresponsive culture dishes are used as one of the advanced cell sheet technology methods [1]. It allows the surface to demonstrate temperature responsive wettability changes in aqueous environments. Different methods can be used to fabricate PNIPAm surfaces such as initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) which offers a control of the polymer thickness [2]. In this research, we showed that thermoresponsive surfaces can create cell sheet which can be used as a bioink in 3D direct cell bioprinting [3]. The aim of this work is to show that cell sheets can be used to increase mechanical strength of bioink.