3D printing of calcium doped Isomalt via custom-made Extruder: Facile approach for creating blood vascular like networks within tissue mimicking hydrogel matrix

3D printing domain has witnessed rapid advancements with immense applications in various fields ranging from aerospace to 3D printed organs. This study describes a facile biofabrication approach for creating an Artificial blood vascular network inside the Hydrogel matrix by using Isomalt sugar (Sugar Alcohol) as a sacrificial component inside a composite-Hydrogel matrix. Conventional 3D-printers have extruder and hot-end assembly, whereas Bioprinters use pneumatic-piston, and piezoelectric-driven extrusion mechanisms. In this study, we describe the design and operation of a custom-made miniature precision lead screw-based syringe-pump extruder mechanism with integrated temperature-controlled heat-block. We are currently using this integrated setup for melt Isomalt-based 3D printing, which can be easily mounted over the Z-axis and is driven using a geared stepper motor with high torque, providing controlled extrusion of highly viscous polymers where sugar structures are used as sacrificial materials for making Artificial blood vascular like networks in the microfluidics domain within the composite Hydrogel matrix. Computational studies using COMSOL Multiphysics were performed to predict the diffusion pattern of the DMEM culture medium to estimate the rate of mass flow through a porous media. Furthermore, Cell based testing is performed using Human Adipose Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (HAD-MSC’s) which were cultured over the vascular Hydrogel matrix perfused with culture media with defined flowrates to mimic the natural function of the Nutrient and gaseous exchange inside human tissues. The proposed can be used to produce equivalent Tissue models which could be potentially used in On-chip drug testing platforms, drug discovery and regenerative medicine domains.