3D printing of gels with living photosynthetic algae
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3D printing of gels with living photosynthetic algae Paul Calvert MRS Advances / FirstView Article / July 2016, pp 1 - 4 DOI: 10.1557/adv.2016.455, Published online: 16 June 2016
Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S2059852116004552 How to cite this article: Paul Calvert 3D printing of gels with living photosynthetic algae. MRS Advances, Available on CJO 2016 doi:10.1557/ adv.2016.455 Request Permissions : Click here
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MRS Advances © 2016 Materials Research Society DOI: 10.1557/adv.2016.455
3D printing of gels with living photosynthetic algae
Paul Calvert New Mexico Tech., Socorro NM 87801 ABSTRACT Chlorella is a green, photosynthetic single-celled genus of algae. It can be 3D printed as a suspension in sodium alginate and gelled with calcium solutions. We have made “log pile” structures with channels between the gel lines to allow easy transport of nutrients and products. Under white light and immersed in solutions of bicarbonate and phosphate and urea “plant food” the algae multiply with the gel and produce oxygen at a rate comparable to that reported for suspensions of Chlorella. The system is stable for one or two weeks at least. In principle this can be extended to other plant tissues but there are concerns relating to bacterial and fungal infection and toxicity of the gel components. In addition a tougher gel is needed if this was to be converted to a practical bioreactor system. INTRODUCTION There is currently great interest in 3D printing of human cells for the possible development of transplantable organs, or more immediately for toxicology and testing [1]. Cells may be printed at low densities in a suitable gel matrix and then be allowed to grow to higher densities and possibly replace the initial matrix. In this case the cell requirements for oxygen, glucose and other nutrients may be supplied by diffusion through a thin layer of gel. Cells can survive at depths up to between 100 micrometers and 1 mm. Alternatively cells may be printed at high densities comparable to the number of cells in tissue but in this case some sort of vascular system must rapidly develop in order to supply the cells. While animal tissues are highly organized multicellular structures there are clearly many other degrees of co-operation between cells in nature. Many bacteria form biofilms where a gel binds one or species into an adherent film. Individual (planktonic) bacteria may leave the film and go to form new colonies. Amongst fungi and simple plants there are also varying degrees of multicellularity. Some seaweeds for complex structures, yet the cells are not specialized but are undifferentiated. This raises two questions. One is whether it would be possible to 3D print and grow plant or fungal tissues using methods similar to those applied to human tissues. Since plant callus tissue is
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