How a 2010 Conference Sparked a New Era in Tissue Engineering
Explore the RevolutionImagine a future where replacement organs are printed to order, where damaged tissues are repaired with living constructs tailored to your body, and where animal testing is replaced by sophisticated human tissue models.
This is the promise of biofabrication—an interdisciplinary field that was still in its infancy when researchers gathered in 2010 for the International Conference on Biofabrication (BF2010). This landmark event, captured in a special issue of the journal Biofabrication, marked a turning point for the field, showcasing groundbreaking technologies that would set the research agenda for years to come 1 2 .
Computer-aided transfer processes for patterning living materials
Automated assembly of preformed cell-containing units
Precision and reproducibility in tissue engineering
Biofabrication represents the convergence of biology, engineering, and materials science in the automated production of biologically functional products. According to the definitions that would later be formalized by the community, it encompasses "the automated generation of biologically functional products with structural organization from living cells, bioactive molecules, biomaterials, cell aggregates such as microtissues, or hybrid cell-material constructs" 3 4 .
The use of computer-aided transfer processes for patterning and assembling living and non-living materials with defined 2D or 3D architectures 5 .
The fabrication of hierarchical constructs through automated assembly of preformed cell-containing units generated through cell-driven self-organization 5 .
At the heart of biofabrication lies a crucial component: bioinks. These are not typical printer inks but specially formulated materials containing living cells, biomolecules, and biomaterials that can be processed using automated biofabrication technologies 5 6 .
| Bioink Type | Key Components | Advantages | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alginate-based | Alginate, calcium chloride | Rapid crosslinking, good printability | Cartilage, bone tissue |
| Gelatin-methacrylate (GelMA) | Gelatin, methacrylate groups | Tunable mechanical properties, biocompatibility | Various soft tissues |
| Supramolecular | β-cyclodextrin, adamantane-modified polymers | Shear-thinning, self-healing | Vascular structures |
| Peptide-based | Self-assembling peptides | High bioactivity, nanoscale control | Neural tissue, drug screening |
Table 1: Major bioink types discussed at BF2010 and their characteristics 5
The conference presentations highlighted ongoing challenges in bioink development, particularly the difficulty in creating materials that simultaneously support printing processes and cell viability. As one research group noted, "Materials used in biofabrication must meet specific criteria, depending on the respective technique" 5 .
The ideal bioink must satisfy competing demands: it must be processable by bioprinting technologies (requiring specific rheological properties), provide mechanical stability to the printed structure, and yet also support cell viability and function by mimicking the natural cellular environment 5 .
One of the most significant themes to emerge from the BF2010 conference was the growing interest in scaffold-free biofabrication. Traditional tissue engineering often relies on biodegradable scaffolds that provide structural support for cells but which can cause problems such as inflammatory responses, inadequate degradation rates, and mechanical mismatch with native tissues 7 .
Scaffold-free approaches instead rely on the innate ability of cells to self-organize and form functional tissues—a process guided by developmental biology principles. As described in the special issue, these methods use "self-assembling multicellular units as bio-ink particles" that employ "early developmental morphogenetic principles, such as cell sorting and tissue fusion" 7 .
A particularly exciting scaffold-free technique presented at the conference was laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT). This approach uses a laser pulse to transfer cells from a donor slide onto a receiving substrate with remarkable precision (down to single-cell resolution) without compromising cell viability or function 8 .
The conference proceedings highlighted research demonstrating that laser-printed mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) maintained their ability to differentiate into bone and cartilage lineages after the printing process. Even more impressively, the researchers showed that LIFT could print cell densities high enough to promote chondrogenesis (cartilage formation) and that predifferentiated MSCs survived the printing procedure while maintaining their functionality 8 .
One of the most impactful studies presented at BF2010 and detailed in the special issue investigated the use of laser printing for creating scaffold-free stem cell grafts. This research exemplified the conference's theme of combining engineering innovation with biological insight.
Table 2: Key findings from the laser printing experiment 8
This experiment was particularly significant because it addressed multiple challenges simultaneously: cell viability, differentiation potential, and structural stability. It exemplified the kind of interdisciplinary approach that the biofabrication community championed—combining laser engineering, cell biology, and materials science to create functional biological constructs 8 .
Perhaps most impressively, the study demonstrated that laser printing could achieve cell densities high enough to permit chondrogenesis without additional scaffolds—addressing a significant limitation in cartilage tissue engineering. The researchers also showed that predifferentiated cells survived the printing process and maintained their specific functions, suggesting that different cell types could be printed sequentially to create complex tissue structures 8 .
Biofabrication relies on a specialized set of materials and reagents that enable the precise patterning of living cells. Based on the research presented at BF2010, here are some of the most important components in the biofabrication toolkit:
A natural polymer derived from seaweed that can be crosslinked with calcium ions to form hydrogels. Valued for its gentle gelling properties and compatibility with cell encapsulation 5 .
A modified natural polymer that combines the biocompatibility of gelatin with the photopolymerizability of methacrylate groups. Can be crosslinked using UV light to create stable hydrogel structures 5 .
HA modified with adhesive peptides or crosslinkable groups provides biocompatibility and tunable mechanical properties. Particularly useful for cartilage tissue engineering 5 .
A natural hydrogel formed from fibrinogen and thrombin that mimics the natural blood clotting process. Provides excellent biological cues for cell attachment and proliferation 9 .
Synthetic polymers that can be functionalized with various bioactive molecules. Offer precise control over mechanical and biochemical properties 9 .
Materials that use non-covalent interactions to create shear-thinning hydrogels that can be easily printed and then self-heal after deposition 5 .
The 2010 International Conference on Biofabrication did more than just showcase cutting-edge research—it helped consolidate a community and establish common goals and terminology for the field. The special issue that emerged from this conference captured a pivotal moment when biofabrication was transitioning from a promising concept to an established scientific discipline 1 2 .
The conference led to the establishment of the International Society of Biofabrication (ISBF), providing an institutional home for the community and promoting international collaboration.
BF2010 stimulated important discussions about defining key terms like "biofabrication," "bioprinting," and "bioassembly"—leading to formal definitions published in subsequent years 3 4 .
By bringing together researchers from engineering, materials science, biology, and medicine, the conference fostered the cross-pollination of ideas that continues to drive innovation.
The presentations and discussions at BF2010 helped identify the most pressing challenges and promising opportunities in biofabrication, setting a research agenda for years to come.
In the years since BF2010, biofabrication has made remarkable progress. Researchers have developed increasingly sophisticated bioinks, improved the resolution and speed of bioprinting technologies, and created more complex tissue models that better mimic human physiology. While the vision of printing fully functional human organs for transplantation remains elusive, the field has made substantial advances in creating tissues for drug screening, disease modeling, and smaller-scale regenerative applications 6 .
The 2010 International Conference on Biofabrication captured a field at an inflection point—poised to transform from a niche interdisciplinary specialty to a major force in biomedical research. The special issue of Biofabrication that documented this event remains a testament to the creativity, collaboration, and vision of the researchers who shaped the field.
Today, as biofabrication technologies continue to advance at an accelerating pace, the foundational work presented at BF2010 remains relevant. The challenges identified there—creating better bioinks, improving vascularization, scaling up production—continue to drive research, while the potential applications in regenerative medicine, drug discovery, and disease modeling have only expanded.
As we look to the future, with developments like 3D-bioprinted tissue models for personalized medicine and increasingly sophisticated biomaterials that dynamically interact with cells, we can trace many of these advances back to the ideas and collaborations that emerged from that seminal conference in 2010. The biofabrication revolution continues, and its impact on medicine and biology promises to be profound.