Tissue Eng Part C Methods. 2011 Oct;17(10):973-82. Epub 2011 Jun 29.

Laser printing of three-dimensional multicellular arrays for studies of cell-cell and cell-environment interactions.

Gruene M, Pflaum M, Hess C, Diamantouros S, Schlie S, Deiwick A, Koch L, Wilhelmi M, Jockenhoevel S, Haverich A, Chichkov B.

Source

Department of Nanotechnology, Laser Zentrum Hannover e. V., Hannover, Germany. m.gruene@lzh.de

Abstract

Utilization of living cells for therapies in regenerative medicine requires a fundamental understanding of the interactions between different cells and their environment. Moreover, common models based on adherent two-dimensional cultures are not appropriate to simulate the complex interactions that occur in a three-dimensional (3D) cell-microenvironment in vivo. In this study, we present a computer-aided method for the printing of multiple cell types in a 3D array using laser-assisted bioprinting. By printing spots of human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) and endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs), we demonstrate that (i) these cell spots can be arranged layer-by-layer in a 3D array; (ii) any cell-cell ratio, cell quantity, cell-type combination, and spot spacing can be realized within this array; and (iii) the height of the 3D array is freely scalable. As a proof of concept, we printed separate spots of ASCs and ECFCs within a 3D array and observed cell-cell interactions in vascular endothelial growth factor-free medium. It has been demonstrated that direct cell-cell contacts trigger the development of stable vascular-like networks. This method can be applied to study complex and dynamic relationships between cells and their local environment.