Scalable tissue biofabrication via perfusable hollow fiber arrays for cultured meat applications

Abstract

Creating perfusable channels within engineered tissues is crucial for the development of large-scale tissues. Unfortunately, existing technologies have not achieved uniformly distributed, perfusable networks on a large scale. To overcome this, we developed a method using a hollow fiber bioreactor (HFB) equipped with an array of closely packed semipermeable hollow fibers that function as artificial circulation systems, ensuring uniform nutrient and oxygen distribution throughout the tissue. Furthermore, the HFB includes microfabricated anchors for promoting cell alignment. When using active perfusion, biofabricated centimeter-scale chicken muscle tissue exhibited an elevated level of marker protein expression and sarcomere formation throughout the tissue, along with improved texture and flavor. In addition, a robotic-assisted fiber threading system was developed to achieve efficient assembly of the HFBs. Future full automation of this approach may revolutionize both the cultured meat industry and the tissue engineering field, which aims to create large-scale, tissue-engineered organs.