3D printing:

3D printing techniques can be employed to construct a 3D scaffold to mimic the ECM for cell
communication and provide the environment for cell proliferation in vitro. Recently, researchers
printed a series of hexagonal staircase (HS) liver scaffolds to mimic liver lobular units by fine-
tuning printing parameters using novel biodegradable polymer materials. In the 3D printing
system, a computer identifies a 3D spatial model of the target organ and cuts it into sequences of
2D slices, which is then assembled from bottom to the top. This system is able to print and copy
any preferred shapes with the facility to direct cell distribution, scaffold pore size,
interconnectivity, and geometry. It is noteworthy that if the operator error is reduced, it can
contribute to the formation of optimal uniform shapes on a large-scale structure.
These 3D technologies can be divided into different categories that include stereolithography,
laser-assisted forward transfer, nozzle-based bioprinting techniques, shear-thinning extrusion
bioprinting, sacrificial bioprinting, microfluidic bioprinting, and multi-material bioprinting.
Example:
Culturing in 3D alginate scaffolds was found to promote hepatic cells aggregation 7 days post
cultivation. The cells acquired prerequisite function and typical hepatocyte-like morphology to
synthesize Albumin. It has also been shown that Hexagonal lobule-like geometries have been
displayed to have advantageous effects on cultured hepatocytes.