Take a Closer Look at LifeSupport™

Bioprinting with LifeSupport™

FRESH™ bioprinting is performed by extruding bioinks and other materials within the hydrated, compacted LifeSupport™ support material, which is specially formulated to prevent constructs from collapsing and deforming while printing. A wide range of polymer crosslinking chemistries and gelation mechanisms are supported within LifeSupport™ by the incorporation of ions, enzymes, pH buffers and more into the support material during the rehydration process. LifeSupport™ allows for FRESH™ bioprinting of soft hydrogel bioinks in complex geometries without the need for sacrificial support inks (e.g., Pluronic® F-127, polycaprolactone, gelatin) or ink modifiers to increase mechanical stability (e.g., gelatin methacrylate, cellulose, alginate). 

LifeSupport™ can be rehydrated in a range of buffers and cell culture media to support multiple cell types and specific bioinks. LifeSupport™ can also be rehydrated to support the cross-linking and/or gelation of multiple types of bioinks within the same support material. Bioinks that can be printed include collagen, alginate, fibrin, decellularized extracellular matrix, methacrylated gelatin, methacrylated hyaluronic acid, and more. The specific bioinks that can be printed will also depend on the hardware capabilities of the 3D bio-printer being used.