Recently, researchers from Shenyang Institute of Automation Chinese Academy of Sciences (SIACAS) have successfully synthesized norbornene-functionalized neutral soluble collagen, which can be quickly cross-linked by light stimulation and construct a high-resolution structure containing living cells, achieving an original breakthrough in cell-laden materials for advanced biological manufacturing technology. Related study is published as a cover paper in ACS applied and interfaces with the title Norbornene Photoclick Bio-Ink with Excellent Bioactivity and Printability. 

As the essential foundation of Biofabrication, bio-ink is confronted with the inevitable contradiction between printability and bioactivity. Norbornene-functionalized neutral soluble collagen (NorCol) can be quickly orthogonally cross-linked to build a cell-laden hydrogel via a cell-friendly thiol-ene photoclick reaction. 

Moreover, the additional carboxyl groups produced in the reaction of carbic anhydride and collagen obviously improve the solubility of NorCol in neutral buffer and miscibility of NorCol with other polymers. It enables hybrid bio-ink to respond to multiple stimuli, resulting in continuous cross-linked NorCol networks in hybrid hydrogels. 

These properties give NorCol flexible formability in temperature-, ion-, and photo-based bioprinting. The molecular interaction among giant collagen molecules allows NorCol hydrogel formation at a low concentration, which leads to excellent cell spreading, migration, and proliferation. Accordingly, NorCol-based bio-ink shows great potential in bioprinting for its higher bioactivity and printability. 

Remarkably, the researchers successfully constructed the structure of blood vessels and neural networks in this novel collagen hydrogel, which provides a new choice of matrix materials for the nutrient supply and neural control of bio-syncretic robots. 

Contact: 

Xiongfei Zheng 

Email: zhengxiongfei@sia.cn