Creating tissue-specific bioinks: lessons from self-assembling peptide macromolecule hybrids

The replacement and repair of human tissues and organs has long held the interest of both scholars and the public. Recent advances in science, technology and medicine are now bringing the dream of manufactured tissues and organs to reality, promising improved quantity and quality of life for those with end stage organ failure or disabling tissue damage. To recreate the human tissue and organ structures in a laboratory setting, advanced manufacturing technologies are enabling the three-dimensional patterning of biologically compatible materials and human cells. These technologies come under the term biofabrication. Novel materials for biofabrication aim to direct cell behaviour toward physically biomimetic, functioning structures. These materials require specific mechanical properties to maintain their manufactured shape, and functional properties, such as nano/micro architecture and biological activity to support beneficial cell behaviour. A wide range of materials are available however currently none are able to adequately support both structure and functional outcomes alone. Hybrid materials combine beneficial properties from two or more individual components. In this thesis, the hybrid approach is applied to a toolkit of self-assembling peptides and macromolecules. This thesis demonstrates that hybrid materials with biological activity and nano-architecture (from self-assembling peptides) and structural integrity (from a range of macromolecules) can be used for successful biofabrication of skeletal muscle, neural and dermal tissues. The approach is highly adaptable, a toolkit of biologically active peptides and structural macromolecules are interchangeable to create tissue-specific architecture and biological activity all while being amenable to biofabrication. This hybrid system presents a unique approach to the design of tissue specific bioinks and biomaterials, that can be adapted for future applications.