Pioneering Low-Energy IR in 3D Bioprinting: The Red Light Revolution
As the field of bioprinting evolves, the demand for safer, more efficient, and versatile technologies continues to grow. While UV crosslinking has long been a staple in 3D printing, the use of low-energy light (red light) is emerging as a transformative innovation, offering distinct advantages for advanced material development and tissue regeneration.
Why Shift to Red Light in 3D Bioprinting?
Traditional photo-crosslinking methods rely on high-energy light sources like UV or blue light. Despite their widespread application, these approaches come with critical limitations:
Shallow penetration depth: UV light struggles to reach deeper layers due to scattering, resulting in surface-level curing.
Potential material degradation: High-energy light can compromise material integrity and cellular health, posing challenges in bioengineering applications.
In contrast, low-energy red light addresses these challenges head-on. Its longer wavelength allows deeper penetration, minimizes scattering, and ensures material and cell safety. This makes it particularly well-suited for both in vitro and in vivo applications, where maintaining bioactivity and precision is essential.
Simultaneous Printing and Curing with Red Light
Our work focuses on leveraging continuous-wavelength (cw) red light in extrusion-based 3D printing. This technology enables simultaneous printing and curing, with tunable light power ensuring precise control over material properties. By integrating red light into the bioprinting process, we open doors to:
Developing biocompatible scaffolds with enhanced structural integrity.
Expanding the possibilities for complex tissue regeneration.
Achieving greater efficiency and safety in regenerative medicine applications.
Advancing Bioprinting Through Innovation
While UV crosslinking remains a valuable tool, the incorporation of red light provides a complementary solution that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in bioprinting. This low-energy approach ensures minimal disruption to biological systems while delivering superior performance, marking a significant step forward in biofabrication.
Meet Our User Behind the Innovation
Light-crosslinkable 3D printing offers benefits compared to other 3D printing methods due to its rapid speed and high spatiotemporal resolution. However, photo-crosslinked networks usually require high-energy light (blue or UV), which has limited penetration to surface layers because of scattering and can cause degradation. Alternatively, low-energy light (red light) avoids these drawbacks and is safe for both in vivo and in vitro applications, making the use of longer-wavelength light the optimal solution. Printing and curing simultaneously using continuous wavelength (cw) red light in extrusion-based 3D printing with tunable power creates new opportunities for advanced 3D bioprinting and tissue engineering applications.
Their team at Tampere University is at the forefront of exploring and advancing these technologies. Learn more about the brilliant minds driving these innovations here.
Join Us on the Journey
We are committed to bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and real-world applications. Stay tuned as we continue to explore the transformative potential of low-energy light (red light) in 3D printing and bioprinting.
