Biofabrication of Hydrogel Constructs

Abstract

Hydrogels are three dimensional (3D) hydrophilic networks with the ability to absorb and retain large amounts of water without dissolution, as a result of the establishment of physical or chemical bonds between the polymeric chains. Hydrogels obtained from either natural or synthetic polymers are attractive materials for tissue engineering applications due to their excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, elasticity and compositional similarities to the extracellularmatrix. Several techniques have been explored to produce hydrogel meshes, films or 3D constructs for cell attachment, differentiation and proliferation or to release drugs and growth factors according to specific release profiles. This chapter describes the current state-of-the-art of biomanufacturing additive processes to produce hydrogel constructs for tissue engineering. Biomanufacturing processes are described in detail and the major advantages and limitations outlined.