Chapter 2: Extrusion-based Bioprinting

3D bioprinting is a fairly recent innovation in the world of biofabrication. It is a promising and growing technique for use in a wide variety of biofabrication applications. 3D bioprinting can be used to create complex, hierarchical constructs, along with constructs with mechanical and biological heterogeneity. Extrusion-based bioprinting uses a form of mechanical force to extrude any number of bioinks, which could contain cells or other biological materials, in a layer-by-layer manner into a predetermined design. The extrusion-based bioprinting technique allows for the use of multiple bioinks and biological materials in a single bioprinting process, which allows for the construct to be considerably more complex and can closer mimic biological materials and native tissue. This technique can be used in many different types of bioprinting applications, including bone, tendon, skin, cardiovascular, and many other types of tissue bioprinting.