Bioprinting Collagen for Layered Tissues

Overview

Collagen type I is the most abundant protein in the extracellular matrix and has been widely used in academia and industry for tissue engineering applications. With Allevi’s exclusive CORE™ printhead and this bioprinting collagen protocol, you are now able to print and pattern pure 3 mg/mL type I collagen or 8 mg/mL methacrylated collagen for layered tissues such as skin. This is the first time that such low concentration collagen can be printed and patterned through 3D bioprinting. 

Materials

Methods 

  1. Follow this protocol to prepare PureCol® and your cells for printing;
  2. Set your Allevi extruder temperature to 4˚C;
  3. Attach the Allevi layering tip™ to your syringe;
  4. Bioprint on the Allevi printing dish;
    • If you have an A3, set your bed plate to 37˚C to crosslink your collagen layers at the time of deposition;
  5. Incubate your structure at 37˚C for at least 30 minutes; 
  6. Culture your layered tissue as desired.

Print Settings

Speed (mm/s) Layer height (mm) Nozzle Diam (mm)   Gauge
5 0.2 0.2 27
Pressure (PSI) Crosslink (sec) Print Temp (°C)
10 4

We hope you found this protocol for bioprinting collagen for layered tissues helpful! You are now ready for imaging and analysis of your layered tissue construct – click here for analysis protocols.

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