I am a motivated Ph.D. candidate specializing in Microfluidics and 3D printing. My research focus lies in the development of biomaterials tailored for Tissue Regeneration applications. Currently, I aim to explore methods for creating a microgel-based system capable of controlled assembly during flow.
Extrusion bioprinting is a powerful fabrication approach in tissue engineering, providing accurate control over material deposition in the submillimetre range in a cost-effective manner. However, due to multiple requirements for printable materials (so-called inks), only a limited number of chemistries can be effectively used, and typically homogeneous network compositions are obtained. Approaches providing high control over local material structure and composition are still lacking.In this project, we will develop a microgel-based material system for 3D-printing, accopulated with a microfluidic setup. Fine-tuning the ink composition and printing process will be controlled on the micrometer scale. Adjusting the fabrication process to work with the inks that contain living cells is envisioned in the final step. The developed approach ultimately will allow the fabrication of scaffolds for tissue engineering purposes, with locally varying structure and composition, with control from submicrometric to millimetric scale.