3D printing of biomimetic and biohybrid systems

Biohybrid systems are based on the incorporation of living cells into artificial devices, combining biological and non-biological components. Recent advances in additive manufacturing have fueled innovation in this emerging field, which benefited from the multi-technique and multi-material capabilities of 3D printing/bioprinting processes. Hence, a new generation of microphysiological systems incorporating sensors and electronics has been proposed for drug discovery and disease modelling. At the same time, biofabrication has been exploited to produce a new generation of cell-enabled actuators and bio-bots. In this lecture, an overview of the recent developments in 3D printing of biomimetic and biohybrid structures for tissue engineering, disease modeling, and soft robotics will be provided.