Novel method of bioprinting neuron cells

Date:
September 21, 2021
Source:
Concordia University
Summary:
Researchers have developed a new method of bioprinting adult neuron
cells. They're using a new laser-assisted technology that maintains
high levels of cell viability and functionality.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A group of researchers including a Concordia PhD student have developed
a new method of bioprinting adult neuron cells. They're using a new laser-assisted technology that maintains high levels of cell viability
and functionality.


==========================================================================
PhD candidate and 2020-21 Public Scholar Hamid Orimi and his co-authors
present the feasibility of a new bioprinting technology they developed in
a recent paper published in the journal Micromachines. They demonstrate
how the methodology they created, called Laser-Induced Side Transfer
(LIST), improves on existing bioprinting techniques by using bioinks
of differing viscosities, allowing for better 3D printing. Orimi, his
Concordia co-supervisor Sivakumar Narayanswamy in the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science, CRHMR co-supervisor Christos Boutopoulos
and co-authors at the Universite' de Montre'al first presented the method
in the Nature journal Scientific Reports in 2020.

Orimi co-wrote the newer paper with lead author Katiane Roversi, Sebastien Talbot and Boutopoulos at UdeM and Marcelo Falchetti and Edroaldo da
Rocha at Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil. In it, the
researchers demonstrate that the technology can be used to successfully
print sensory neurons, a vital component of the peripheral nervous
system. This, they say, is promising for the long-term development of bioprinting's potential, including disease modelling, drug testing and
implant fabrication.

Viable and functional The researchers used dorsal root ganglion (DRG)
neurons from the peripheral nervous system of mice to test their
technology. The neurons were suspended in a bioink solution and loaded
into a square capillary above a biocompatible substrate. Low-energy
nanosecond laser pulses were focused on the middle of the capillary,
generating microbubbles that expanded and ejected a cell-laden microjet
onto the substrate below it. The samples were briefly incubated, then
washed and re-incubated for 48 hours.

The team then ran several tests to measure the printed cells'
capacities. A viability assay found that 86 per cent of the cells remained alive two days after printing. The researchers note that viability rates improved when the laser used lower energy. The thermomechanics associated
with higher laser energy use was more likely to damage the cells.

Other tests measured neurite outgrowth (in which developing neurons
produce new projections as they grow in response to guidance cues), neuropeptide release, calcium imaging and RNA sequencing. Overall, the
results were generally encouraging, suggesting that the technique could
be an important contribution to the field of bioprinting.

Good for people and animals "In general, people often leap to conclusions
when we talk about bioprinting," Orimi says. "They think that we can now
print things like human organs for transplants. While this is a long-term objective, we are very far from that point. But there are still many ways
to use this technology." Nearest at hand is drug discovery. The team
hopes to get approval to continue their research into cell grafting,
which can assist greatly in drug discovery, such as for nerve recovery medicines.

Another advantage to using this technology, Orimi says, is a decrease in
animal testing. This not only has a humanitarian aspect -- fewer animals
will be euthanized to carry out experiments meant to benefit humans --
but it will also produce more accurate results, since testing will be
carried out on human, not animal, tissue.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Concordia_University. Original written
by Patrick Lejtenyi. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Katiane Roversi, Hamid Ebrahimi Orimi, Marcelo Falchetti, Edroaldo
Lummertz da Rocha, Sebastien Talbot, Christos
Boutopoulos. Bioprinting of Adult Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG)
Neurons Using Laser-Induced Side Transfer (LIST). Micromachines,
2021; 12 (8): 865 DOI: 10.3390/mi12080865 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210921134345.htm

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