tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, 3D printing and bioprinting, biomaterials, bioinks, 4D bioprinting, Technology, Biology (General), QH301-705.5

Three-dimensional printing was introduced in the 1980s, though bioprinting started developing a few years later. Today, 3D bioprinting is making inroads in medical fields, including the production of biomedical supplies intended for internal use, such as biodegradable staples. Medical bioprinting enables versatility and flexibility on demand and is able to modify and individualize production using several established printing methods. A great selection of biomaterials and bioinks is available, including natural, synthetic, and mixed options; they are biocompatible and non-toxic. Many bioinks are biodegradable and they accommodate cells so upon implantation, they integrate within the new environment. Bioprinting is suitable for printing tissues using living or viable components, such as collagen scaffolding, cartilage components, and cells, and also for printing parts of structures, such as teeth, using artificial man-made materials that will become embedded in vivo. Bioprinting is an integral part of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The addition of newly developed smart biomaterials capable of incorporating dynamic changes in shape depending on the nature of stimuli led to the addition of the fourth dimension of time in the form of changing shape to the three static dimensions. Four-dimensional bioprinting is already making significant inroads in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, including new ways to create dynamic tissues. Its future lies in constructing partial or whole organ generation.