Association of bioprinting and 3d printing techniques for the simulation of pulp and bone microenvironments in organ-on-a-chip systems

• Grant number: 23/09863-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Support Program for Fixating Young Doctors
• Effective date (Start): August 01, 2023
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Dental Materials
• Acordo de Cooperação: CNPq
• Principal Investigator: Diana Gabriela Soares dos Passos
• Grantee: Vitor de Toledo Stuani
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru (FOB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Bauru , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/01623-3 - Association of bioprinting and 3D printing techniques for the simulation of pulp and bone microenvironments in organ-on-a-chip systems, AP.R

Abstract

Organs-on-a-chips have emerged as a tool to improve the predictive power of preclinical analyses through an accurate in vitro representation of human physiology, replacing in many cases animal experimentation. This application is achieved through the convergence of the fields of microfabrication, microfluidics and tissue engineering. Thus, this project proposes the development of three organ-on-a-chip platforms with distinct architectures for the evaluation of biomaterials used in bone and pulp regeneration. Therefore, 3D printing and bioprinting techniques will be employed in the confection of the devices, which will be maintained in a perfusion bioreactor to simulate blood flow. Analyses will be performed with 3D cultures of healthy dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), apical papilla stem cells (SCAPs), human osteoblastic lineage cells (SAOS-2), and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The chips will be used to investigate cell viability and adhesion and spreading on two types of scaffolds, namely: 1) chitosan scaffolds with or without mineral phase (calcium carbonate, dibasic calcium phosphate, calcium silicate and calcium hydroxide) produced by phase separation technique; 2) methacrylated gelatin functionalized or not with different metal oxides (zinc, strontium, magnesium and silicon oxides) produced by bioprinting.