Feasibility of 3-D Bioprinting With a Modified Desktop 3D Desktop Printer.

Abstract Numerous studies have shown the capabilities of 3D printing for use in the medical industry. At the time of this publication, basic home desktop 3-D printer kits can cost as little as $300, while medical-specific 3D bioprinters can cost upwards of $300,000. The purpose of this study was to show how a commercially available desktop 3D printer could be modified to bioprint an engineered poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) scaffold containing viable chondrocytes in a bioink. Our bioprinter was used to create a living 3D functional tissue-engineered cartilage scaffold. In this article we detail the design, production and calibration of this bioprinter. Additionally the bioprinted cells were tested for viability, proliferation, biochemistry, and gene expression; these tests showed the cells survived the printing process, were able to continue dividing, and produce the extracellular matrix expected of chondrocytes.