The Synergy of Biomimetic Design Strategies for Tissue Constructs

The regeneration and repair of complex structures, interfaces, and mechanical properties present in natural tissues remains a challenge. To move beyond simplified tissue engineered constructs, nature is a source of inspiration for complex, hierarchical scaffold designs. Recent advances in additive manufacturing allow for increasingly complex fabrication of architectures that better mimic the multiscale structure-function relationship found in natural tissues. In this review, scaffold-based and scaffold-free approaches and the synergistic use of fabrication technologies (two things make a third) to produce more biomimetic implants are described. Recent advanced scaffold designs such as auxetic mechanical metamaterials and induced fibrillar alignment are highlighted. Next, the pre-programmed assembly of spheroids, tissue strands, and other modular building blocks without the need for permanent exogenous scaffold support are discussed. Furthermore, the application of hybridized manufacturing processes to fabricate hierarchical functional constructs is outlined for the osteochondral unit, vascular grafts, and peripheral nerves.

Automated summary

The regeneration and repair of complex structures in natural tissues remains a challenge, but recent advances in additive manufacturing have allowed for the development of more biomimetic scaffold designs. This review explores scaffold-based and scaffold-free approaches, as well as the use of fabrication technologies to produce complex implants. It highlights advanced scaffold designs and pre-programmed assembly methods, and discusses the application of hybridized manufacturing processes in tissue engineering.