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HYBiRD

A BRIEF EXPLANATION

HYBiRD is developing specialized bio-inks that can be used to print skin and cartilage tissue. The goal: to create new materials that can be processed in a 3D printer and are safe and well-tolerated by the body. If successful, this could lead to future therapies for skin and cartilage damage—with fewer animal tests required for subsequent use.

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Bioprinting of a complex tissue model: combined printing of a cell-free calcium phosphate bone cement with core-shell strands composed of human endothelial cells (core) and osteoblasts (shell), photographed one week after the printing process.

Image credit: S. Liu et al., TU Dresden

Why Do We Need HYBiRD?

3D bioprinting is seen as a great promise for tissue replacement in medicine and research. Nevertheless, to date there is not a single clinically approved bioink—available materials are often unstable, incompatible with living tissue, or not available in sufficient clinical-grade quantities. HYBiRD closes this very gap with novel bioinks based on high-purity hyaluronic acid and alginates.

How is the project progressing?

  • Developing Biopolymers — High-Purity Hyaluronic Acid and Alginate Derivatives with Precisely Controllable Cross-linking Properties
  • Formulating Bio-Inks — Viscosity, Flow Behavior, and Gelation Are Optimized for 3D Printing
  • Testing Biocompatibility — Cell Biology Testing Using Human Skin and Cartilage Cells
  • Validating the Application — 3D Printing of Tissue Constructs, Tested in a Porcine Model (Skin) and an Organ Model (Cartilage)
  • Sharing Data — All Results Prepared in Compliance with FAIR Principles for the MaterialDigital Platform

What's new about it?

The new, chemically modified hyaluronic acid and alginate derivatives are available in high-purity, clinically relevant grades and can be specifically used for stable, biocompatible cross-linking reactions. Furthermore, all biopolymers used are of non-animal origin—which supports both ethical and environmental goals.

If the development is successful, clinically applicable bio-inks will be available for new treatments of skin and cartilage damage—with fewer animal experiments and a strengthened position for Germany in the growing bioprinting sector.

Who is participating?

Coordination · Hyaluronic Acid · Alginates

PS Biopolymer GmbH & Co. KG (Roquette)

Preparation and Chemical Modification of High-Purity Hyaluronic Acid and Alginate Biopolymers

Bioprinting · Bioinks · Validation

Dresden University of Technology

Bioprinting, formulation of bio-inks, and cell biology testing at the Center for Translational Bone, Joint, and Soft Tissue Research, as well as validation using animal and organ models