On the reproducibility of extrusion-based bioprinting: round robin study on standardization in the field

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • David Grijalva Garces - , Institute of Functional Interfaces (Author)
  • Svenja Strauß - , Institute of Functional Interfaces (Author)
  • Sarah Gretzinger - , Institute of Functional Interfaces (Author)
  • Barbara Schmieg - , Institute of Functional Interfaces (Author)
  • Tomasz Jüngst - , University Hospital of Würzburg (Author)
  • Jürgen Groll - , University Hospital of Würzburg (Author)
  • Lorenz Meinel - , University Hospital of Würzburg (Author)
  • Isabelle Schmidt - , University of Tübingen (Author)
  • Hanna Hartmann - , University of Tübingen (Author)
  • Katja Schenke-Layland - , University of Tübingen (Author)
  • Nico Brandt - , Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Author)
  • Michael Selzer - , MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology (Author)
  • Stefan Zimmermann - , University of Freiburg (Author)
  • Peter Koltay - , University of Freiburg (Author)
  • Alexander Southan - , University of Media Stuttgart (Author)
  • Günter E M Tovar - , University of Media Stuttgart (Author)
  • Sarah Schmidt - , Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (Author)
  • Achim Weber - , Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (Author)
  • Tilman Ahlfeld - , Centre for Translational Bone, Joint and Soft Tissue Research (Author)
  • Michael Gelinsky - , Centre for Translational Bone, Joint and Soft Tissue Research (Author)
  • Thomas Scheibel - , University of Bayreuth (Author)
  • Rainer Detsch - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Aldo R Boccaccini - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Toufik Naolou - , Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) (Author)
  • Cornelia Lee-Thedieck - , Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) (Author)
  • Christian Willems - , Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Author)
  • Thomas Groth - , Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Author)
  • Stephan Allgeier - , Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Author)
  • Bernd Köhler - , Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Author)
  • Tiaan Friedrich - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Heiko Briesen - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Janine Buchholz - , University of Koblenz (Author)
  • Dietrich Paulus - , University of Koblenz (Author)
  • Anselm von Gladiss - , University of Koblenz (Author)
  • Jürgen Hubbuch - , Institute of Functional Interfaces (Author)

Abstract

The outcome of three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting heavily depends, amongst others, on the interaction between the developed bioink, the printing process, and the printing equipment. However, if this interplay is ensured, bioprinting promises unmatched possibilities in the health care area. To pave the way for comparing newly developed biomaterials, clinical studies, and medical applications (i.e. printed organs, patient-specific tissues), there is a great need for standardization of manufacturing methods in order to enable technology transfers. Despite the importance of such standardization, there is currently a tremendous lack of empirical data that examines the reproducibility and robustness of production in more than one location at a time. In this work, we present data derived from a round robin test for extrusion-based 3D printing performance comprising 12 different academic laboratories throughout Germany and analyze the respective prints using automated image analysis (IA) in three independent academic groups. The fabrication of objects from polymer solutions was standardized as much as currently possible to allow studying the comparability of results from different laboratories. This study has led to the conclusion that current standardization conditions still leave room for the intervention of operators due to missing automation of the equipment. This affects significantly the reproducibility and comparability of bioprinting experiments in multiple laboratories. Nevertheless, automated IA proved to be a suitable methodology for quality assurance as three independently developed workflows achieved similar results. Moreover, the extracted data describing geometric features showed how the function of printers affects the quality of the printed object. A significant step toward standardization of the process was made as an infrastructure for distribution of material and methods, as well as for data transfer and storage was successfully established.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number015002
JournalBiofabrication
Volume16
Issue number1
Early online date11 Oct 2023
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0001-9075-5121/work/146165220
Scopus 85173621383

Keywords

Keywords

  • Humans, Bioprinting/methods, Reproducibility of Results, Tissue Scaffolds/chemistry, Biocompatible Materials, Printing, Three-Dimensional, Tissue Engineering/methods