3D Bioprinting: Manufacturing the Human Heart

Every day, the organ shortage crisis takes away the lives of 17 patients (Health Resources & Services Administration, 2022). The number of patients who require organ transplants significantly exceeds the number of possible donors, and consequently, most patients pass away while waiting for a matching donor organ. To address this issue, 3D bioprinting was suggested as a method by which patients could receive a functioning replica of their own biocompatible organ. This manuscript will cover in depth the materials—the bioink—and the printing methods that are widely used by various researchers in the bioprinting field. More specifically, this manuscript will analyze and compare natural bioinks—alginate and collagen—and synthetic bioinks—Gelatin methacryloyl and polycaprolactone. It will then introduce the two major bioprinting methods—extrusion-based printing and inkjet-based printing—and analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Finally, the manuscript will highlight the successful applications of 3D bioprinting in cardiology using the aforementioned bioinks and printing methods.