Sun Leo Ming Pong, To Andrew Ching-Yuet
Po Leung Kuk Laws Foundation College, Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong.
J Microbiol Biol Educ. 2023 Apr 10;24(2). doi: 10.1128/jmbe.00124-22. eCollection 2023 Aug.
Bioprinting is a technique that allows custom printing of cell-laden tissue using the principle of three-dimensional (3D) printing. The technique has various applications, ranging from tissue engineering to materials science. Bioprinting is an attractive topic for science, technology, engineering, and math education due to its novelty and interdisciplinary nature. Nonetheless, a basic commercial bioprinter could cost several thousand U.S. dollars. There have been attempts to construct low-cost do-it-yourself bioprinters for research purpose. However, those methods required expertise, uncommon reagents, and professional equipment, making it difficult for teachers and students in secondary schools to replicate. Here, we demonstrate how teachers and students in a secondary school can convert a 3D printer into a bioprinter for conducting a hands-on bioprinting activity using secondary school-available resources. Briefly, an open-source Creality Ender 3 V2 3D printer in a school was converted into a bioprinter using 3D-printed parts and other readily available materials. Cell-laden bioink and support medium were made using school-available reagents. The bioprinter can be easily constructed and operated by teachers and students who do not have prior knowledge in coding and engineering. We used the bioprinter to print a coronary artery model and an algae-laden artificial leaf. The photosynthetic activity of the artificial leaf could be observed and investigated using a hydrogen carbonate indicator. The work described in this paper could make bioprinting available, comprehensible, and enjoyable to secondary school students, opening a door for inexpensive innovative teaching and learning activities using bioprinting in secondary schools.
生物打印是一种利用三维（3D）打印原理对载有细胞的组织进行定制打印的技术。该技术有多种应用，从组织工程到材料科学。由于其新颖性和跨学科性质，生物打印对于科学、技术、工程和数学教育来说是一个有吸引力的主题。尽管如此，一台基本的商用生物打印机可能要花费数千美元。已经有人尝试为研究目的构建低成本的自制生物打印机。然而，那些方法需要专业知识、不常见的试剂和专业设备，这使得中学教师和学生难以复制。在此，我们展示了一所中学的教师和学生如何利用中学现有的资源将一台3D打印机改装成生物打印机，以开展实践生物打印活动。简要地说，学校里一台开源的创想三维Ender 3 V2 3D打印机通过使用3D打印部件和其他容易获得的材料被改装成了生物打印机。载有细胞的生物墨水和支撑介质是用学校现有的试剂制作的。没有编码和工程方面先验知识的教师和学生也能轻松构建和操作这台生物打印机。我们用这台生物打印机打印了一个冠状动脉模型和一片载有藻类的人造树叶。可以使用碳酸氢盐指示剂观察和研究人造树叶的光合作用活性。本文所述的工作可以让中学生能够接触、理解并享受生物打印，为在中学利用生物打印开展低成本的创新教学活动打开一扇门。
