TissueFab^® bioink kit

Gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) is a polymerizable hydrogel material derived from natural extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Due to its low cost, abundance, and retention of natural cell binding motifs, gelatin has become a highly sought material for tissue engineering applications. Laminin is an extracellular matrix multidomain trimeric glycoprotein and is the main non-collagenous component of basal lamina that supports adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. Laminin is composed of both A, B1 and B2 chains, which are connected by many disulfide bonds. This laminin product was isolated from mouse Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm tumor. Laminin proteins are integral components of structural scaffolding in animal tissues. They associate with type IV collagen via entactin and perlecan and bind to cell membranes through integrin receptors, dystroglycan glycoprotein complexes and Lutheran blood group glycoproteins.

The addition of photocrosslinkable methacrylamide functional groups in GelMA allows the synthesis of biocompatible, biodegradable, and non-immunogenic hydrogels that are stable in biologically relevant conditions and promote cell adhesion, spreading, and proliferation Gelatin methacrylate based bioinks have been used to bioprint osteogenic [1], chondrogenic [2-3], hepatic [4-6], adipogenic [7], vasculogenic [8], epithelial [6], endothelial [9-10], cardiac valve [11], skin [12], tumor [10] and other tissues and constructs. Laminin has active domains for collagen binding, cell adhesion, heparin binding, and neurite outgrowth fragment. Laminin has been used in tissue engineering applications for corneal [13], organoids[14] and neurodegenerative diseases [15-16].

In addition to fast gelation, the methacrylamide functional group can also be used to control the hydrogel physical parameters such as pore size, degradation rate, and swell ratio. Temporal and spatial control of the crosslinking reaction can be obtained by adjusting the degree of functionalization and polymerization conditions, allowing for the fabrication of hydrogels with unique patterns, 3D structures, and morphologies.

TISSUEFAB is a registered trademark of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany