EnduroBone: A 3D printed bioreactor for extended bone tissue culture

Studies of the effects of external stimuli on bone tissue, disease transmission mechanisms, and potential medication discoveries benefit from long-term tissue viability ex vivo. By simulating the in-vivo environment, bioreactors are essential for studying bone cellular activity throughout biological processes. We present the development of an automated 3D-printed bioreactor EnduroBone designed to sustain the ex-vivo viability of 10 mm diameter cancellous bone cores for an extended period. The device is supplied with two critical parameters for maintaining bone tissue viability: closed-loop continuous flow perfusion of 1 mL/min for nutrient diffusion and waste removal and direct mechanical stimulation with cyclic compression at 13.2 RPM (revolutions per minute) to promote cell viability which can lead to improved tissue stability during ex vivo culturing. The bioreactor addresses several limitations of existing systems and provides a versatile open-source platform for bone cancer research, orthopedic device testing, and other related applications. To validate the bioreactor, fresh swine samples were cultured ex-vivo, and their cell viability was determined to be maintained for up to 28 days. Periodic cell viability assessment through live/dead cell staining and confocal imaging at the start (0 days) and at several time points throughout the culture period (7, 14, 21, and 28 days) was used to demonstrate EnduroBone effectiveness in sustaining bone cell health for the extended period tested.