3D Bioprinting Platform using Bacterial Cellulose Biofilms

Tech ID: 24.709

Key Features

• Fully programmable bioprinting platform using bacterial cellulose biofilms
• Layered growth system using negative molds for precise 3D geometry
• Customizable and scalable, accommodating diverse shapes and applications
• Oxygen-restrictive floaters enable selective scaffold formation
• Sterility maintained through filtered airflow and unidirectional valve systems

Description

A team led by Estaban Ponguillo Betancourt at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Ecuador, have developed a Three-Dimensional (3D) Cellulose Biofilm Synthesizer Bioreactor System. This next-generation bioprinting platform creates complex, high-resolution scaffolds directly from bacterial biofilms – without relying on expensive and mechanically weak bioinks. Instead, the system leverages the natural self-assembly properties of bacterial cellulose to fabricate custom 3D structures sustainably, and reproducibly.

The programmable bioreactor system directs layer-by-layer formation of bacterial cellulose to assemble predefined geometries using a mobile negative mold. Oxygen-blocking floaters ensure growth is restricted only to designated areas of the mold to create the desired structure. The bioprinter’s movement synchronizes with the bacterial culture medium surface to facilitate continuous biofilm formation. Environmental settings, including temperature, humidity, airflow, and nutrients, are precisely regulated to optimize synthesis. Together, the bioreactor system provides a platform for controlled, 3D bioprinting from bacterial cellulose, and offers a wide range of applications across biomedicine and industrial biotechnology.

For further detailed information please download the non-confidential summary pdf.

Patents

Published: WO/2025/087952

References

Not yet published in the scientific literature.