3D Bioprinting of an Aortic Valve Using Cell-Laden Hydrogels

Soni, Khushi; Joshi, Priyanka; Ebeling, Gillian; Naasz, Chloe

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3D Bioprinting of an Aortic Valve Using Cell-Laden Hydrogels

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Aortic heart valve disease affects 9 million people worldwide, and current solutions incur a need for reimplantation and life-long medication. Bioprinting serves as a novel tissue-engineering strategy, allowing for the development of customizable, long-lasting, and biocompatible aortic heart valves. The project aimed to print a cell-laden aortic heart valve structure that can withstand typical physiological forces, can sustain cell viability, and is functionally equivalent to a valve. Testing was done to characterize the material strength of the bioink in regard to an aortic valve. We accomplished the goal of identifying the right mix of biomaterials and crosslinking methods to print a gel-cell mixture using a BioBot basic 3D printer to print a heart valve model created using a CAD model. Results showed that cells remained viable in the printed structure with minimal hydrogel degradation and mimicked aortic valve mechanics.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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