Cardiac Patch

Development of Alginate/Fibrinogen-based Bioinks for Cardiac Patch Fabrication

01/04/2025 to 31/03/2026

Alginate-based bioinks hold significant promise for 3D bioprinting due to their tunable viscosity and biocompatibility. However, their lack of cell adhesion-promoting proteins necessitates the integration of additional biomaterials. In this study, we aim to optimize alginate/fibrinogenbased bioinks for the fabrication of cardiac patches by employing both external and internal crosslinking strategies. External crosslinking will utilize rapid gelation via CaCl2, while internal crosslinking will achieve homogeneous gelation through the controlled release of calcium ions using CaCO3 and glucono-δ-lactone. To address the bioactive limitations of alginate, fibrin— rich in RGD sequences that promote cell adhesion and mimic the extracellular matrix—will be incorporated into the formulations. Rheological properties, including viscosity and printability, will be assessed to balance structural integrity and cell viability. Cardiomyocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) will be encapsulated within the bioink to evaluate biocompatibility, with viability and maturation of cardiomyocytes monitored over a 7-day culture period.