3D Printable Gel-Inks for Microbes and Microbial Structures

Bioprinting and the precise engineering of cells, biological material, and structures into multidimensional tissue models are the most rapidly growing research areas in biology and medicine. 3D bioprinting of tissues holds a great promise for modeling diseases and potential treatment strategies with a far greater resolution than traditional techniques (i.e., cell culture). Notably, 3D modeling of microbes and infections provides an unparalleled opportunity to study, screen, and closely monitor diseases and understanding diseases’ progression in a broader sense. The development of model tissues for microbes is, however, challenging and depends on specific parameters such as determination of optimum microenvironment conditions, selection of appropriate scaffold, and cell source. This book chapter provides an overview of state-of-the-art techniques in bioprinting and 3D modeling systems that are developed to study microbes, microbe-host interactions, biofilm formation, antibiotic resistance, and the microbiome.