Research of alginate hydrogels cross-linking strategies for 3D bioprinting

• Grant number: 22/11767-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2022
• End date: November 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Biomedical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: João Henrique Lopes
• Grantee: Viviane Fajardo Filgueiras
• Host Institution: Divisão de Ciências Fundamentais (IEF). Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA). Ministério da Defesa (Brasil). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Bioprinting is a process based on additive manufacturing that uses biomaterials to build a microenvironment that provides the necessary conditions for cell development. The biomaterials used, bioinks, are produced from cytocompatible hydrogels, which form a gel suitable for different approaches to bioprinting. Hydrogels are three-dimensional (3D) networks of cross-linked hydrophilic polymer chains and have been widely explored for use as bioactive delivery agents, cellular transporters, consumer products and scaffolds for tissue engineering.Thus, the bioink must exhibit adequate mechanical and rheological properties to provide provide a favorable environment for cell proliferation. In this regard, hydrogels derived from biopolymers are preferred for building biocompatible, biodegradable and highly porous structures that resemble the extracellular matrix.Among the biopolymers, alginate presents the best control of the crosslinking process, which is desirable in obtaining constructs for tissue engineering.Although alginate hydrogel bioinks have excellent bioprintability, they lack biocompatible properties that favor cell proliferation. Therefore, the project proposes the investigation of different crosslinking agents of alginate-based hydrogels, seeking to adapt their biological and mechanical properties necessary for 3D bioprinting in the production of bioinks, in addition to promoting a stimulating environment for cells.For this, the crosslinking of alginate by different divalent ions (Ca, Sr, Ba and Mg) and through the crosslinking technique induced by bioactive glasses (RIVB) will be investigated, while the results will be compared with the hydrogels obtained from modified alginate by GMA. The execution of the present proposal will allow to expand the knowledge about the crosslinking process of biopolymers and the development of bioactive hybrid bioinks with modulable rheological properties.