iPSC bioprinting: Where are we at?

Abstract

Here, we present a concise review of current 3D bioprinting technologies applied to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). iPSC have recently received a great deal of attention from the scientific and clinical communities for their unique properties, which include abundant adult cell sources, ability to indefinitely self-renew and differentiate into any tissue of the body. Bioprinting of iPSC and iPSC derived cells combined with natural or synthetic biomaterials to fabricate tissue mimicked constructs, has emerged as a technology that might revolutionize regenerative medicine and patient-specific treatment. This review covers the advantages and disadvantages of bioprinting techniques, influence of bioprinting parameters and printing condition on cell viability, and commonly used iPSC sources, and bioinks. A clear distinction is made for bioprinting techniques used for iPSC at their undifferentiated stage or when used as adult stem cells or terminally differentiated cells. This review presents state of the art data obtained from major searching engines, including Pubmed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and Scopus, concerning iPSC generation, undifferentiated iPSC, iPSC bioprinting, bioprinting techniques, cartilage, bone, heart, neural tissue, skin, and hepatic tissue cells derived from iPSC.