Direct 3D‐Bioprinting of hiPSC‐Derived Cardiomyocytes to Generate Functional Cardiac Tissues
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Abstract
3D-bioprinting is a promising technology to produce human tissues as drug screening tool or for organ repair. However, direct printing of living cells has proven difficult. Here, a method is presented to directly 3D-bioprint human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes embedded in a collagen-hyaluronic acid ink, generating centimeter-sized functional ring- and ventricle-shaped cardiac tissues in an accurate and reproducible manner. The printed tissues contain hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes with well-organized sarcomeres and exhibit spontaneous and regular contractions, which persist for several months and are able to contract against passive resistance. Importantly, beating frequencies of the printed cardiac tissues can be modulated by pharmacological stimulation. This approach opens up new possibilities for generating complex functional cardiac tissues as models for advanced drug screening or as tissue grafts for organ repair or replacement.
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More sophisticated fabrication strategies, including nanofabrication and 3D (bio)printing, offer greater control over geometry and microstructure but raise concerns about efficiency, cost, and throughput.
“More sophisticated fabrication strategies, including nanofabrication and 3D (bio)printing, offer greater control over geometry and microstructure but raise concerns about efficiency, cost, and throughput (Lee et al., 2019; Kupfer et al., 2020; Esser et al., 2023).”
From Mini-hearts for disease modeling and drug testing – process optimization versus biological functionality (2026) · cites this paper as Esser et al., 2023
The section 'Simple method to produce a support bath for in-gel printing' (page not provided) reports that printed constructs accurately reproduced 3D models, supporting the claim about geometric control. The Discussion (page not provided) also describes the potential to place different cardiomyocyte subtypes precisely. The paper does not substantiate the attributed concerns about efficiency, cost, or throughput, or address nanofabrication. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSome complex engineered cardiac chambers lack functional readouts, limiting their use for drug testing and disease modeling.
“Some of these more complex engineered cardiac chambers lack functional readouts, thus, limiting their use for drug testing and disease modeling (Esser et al., 2023; Xie et al., 2023; Lee et al., 2019).”
From Mini-hearts for disease modeling and drug testing – process optimization versus biological functionality (2026) · cites this paper as Esser et al., 2023
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- Authors
- Esser, T. U., Anspach, A., Muenzebrock, K. A., Kah, D., Schrüfer, S., Schenk, J., Heinze, K. G., Schubert, D. W., Fabry, B., & Engel, F. B.
- Affiliations
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (DE)
- University of Würzburg (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Engel, Felix B.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Advanced Materials
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2023-11-20
- Volume
- 35
- Issue
- 52
- Pages
- e2305911-e2305911
- ISSN
- 0935-9648 (ISSN-L)
- 1521-4095
- OpenAlex
- W4386347405
- Cited by
- 75
- References
- 49
- Citations by year
- 2026: 25 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 22
- FWCI
- 5.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Advanced Materials (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (INST410/91‐1 FUGG, 326998133 – TRR 225)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › 3D Printing in Biomedical Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Pluripotent Stem Cells Research
- Keywords
- 3D bioprinting, hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, sarcomere organization, spontaneous contractions, drug screening, tissue grafts, organ restoration
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Tissue Engineering, Myocytes, Cardiac, Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Bioprinting, Printing, Three-Dimensional
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