Advances in 3D bioprinting for urethral tissue reconstruction

Daniel Booth; Ronak Afshari; Mahsa Ghovvati; Kaavian Shariati; Renea Sturm; Nasim Annabi

doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.10.009

Advances in 3D bioprinting for urethral tissue reconstruction

Trends Biotechnol. 2024 May;42(5):544-559. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.10.009. Epub 2023 Dec 5.

Authors

Daniel Booth¹, Ronak Afshari¹, Mahsa Ghovvati¹, Kaavian Shariati², Renea Sturm³, Nasim Annabi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
² David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
³ David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Urology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Electronic address: rsturm@mednet.ucla.edu.
⁴ Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Electronic address: nannabi@ucla.edu.

PMID: 38057169
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.10.009

Abstract

Urethral conditions affect children and adults, increasing the risk of urinary tract infections, voiding and sexual dysfunction, and renal failure. Current tissue replacements differ from healthy urethral tissues in structural and mechanical characteristics, causing high risk of postoperative complications. 3D bioprinting can overcome these limitations through the creation of complex, layered architectures using materials with location-specific biomechanical properties. This review highlights prior research and describes the potential for these emerging technologies to address ongoing challenges in urethral tissue engineering, including biomechanical and structural mismatch, lack of individualized repair solutions, and inadequate wound healing and vascularization. In the future, the integration of 3D bioprinting technology with advanced biomaterials, computational modeling, and 3D imaging could transform personalized urethral surgical procedures.

Keywords: 3D bioprinting; biomaterials; tissue engineering; urethra; urological disease.

Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Biocompatible Materials / chemistry
Bioprinting* / methods
Humans
Plastic Surgery Procedures / methods
Printing, Three-Dimensional* / trends
Tissue Engineering* / methods
Tissue Scaffolds
Urethra* / surgery

Substances

Biocompatible Materials

Grants and funding

K08 DK134868/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/United States