New York University Abu Dhabi
Bioinks are central tenets of biofabricating biomimetic tissues and organs. Most of the commercially available hydrogel-based inks are animal-derived. There exists a need for developing sustainable and eco-friendly bioinks for bioprinting of tissues and organs that not only will provide the necessary biomimetic cues for the cells but also contribute to the environmental safety and sustainability. In this regard, this work focusses on three sustainable sources of biomaterials: discarded fish skin, discarded kitchen waste (banana stem) and discarded industrial waste (date fruit pomace). In the first work, banana stem-derived cellulose was combined with fish skin-derived Collagen to 3D print drug-loaded patient-specific wound fillers as a proof-of-concept to treat tunneling wounds. Tunneling wounds create passageways underneath the skin surface with varying sizes and shapes and can have twists and turns, making their treatment extremely difficult. Available wound care solutions only cater to superficial wounds, and untreated tunneling wounds pose major health concerns. This study aims to fulfill this challenge by fabricating tunnel wound fillers (TWFs) made of natural polymers that mimic the dermal extracellular matrix. In this study, cellulose microfibers (CMFs) derived from banana stem and fish skin-derived collagen were used to formulate bioinks to 3D print tri-layered (CMFs, primary and secondary collagen coatings), drug-eluting (Baneocin), and cell-laden (human mesenchymal stem cells) TWFs. TWFs showed promising capability and tunability in terms of wound shape and size upon testing on a chicken tissue model. The results demonstrate the tremendous potential of TWFs in treating deep tunneling wounds with unique advantages, such as patient-specific customization, good wound exudate absorption capability while releasing wound healing drugs, and the inclusion of stem cells for accelerated healing and tissue regeneration. The second work consist of methacrylation of fish skin-derived collagen into Collagen metharylate (ColMA) for bioprinting of human Neural Stem Cells and the third work consist of isolation of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) from date fruit pomace (DFP), formulation of CNC-loaded ColMA for drug release applications.
Abstract
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