{"id":733332,"date":"2026-11-13T10:39:33","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T15:39:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=733332"},"modified":"2026-11-13T10:39:33","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T15:39:33","slug":"what-is-3d-bioprinting-advancements-733332","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-3d-bioprinting-advancements-733332\/","title":{"rendered":"Bioprinting on a budget"},"content":{"rendered":"

A low-cost 3D bioprinter developed by URochester researchers could make the process more accessible for labs.<\/h2>\n

Living materials created with a 3D printer are like living tissues with one notable exception: You get to choose exactly which cells are in them, as well as their final 3D shape. Depending on the type of bacteria included in the print, the material can clean up contaminated water or break down waste materials such as plastic.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 3D bioprinters that create these structures, however, can cost upwards of $100,000, and the soft shapes they produce can collapse before they set.<\/p>\n

To solve this, a team of researchers led by the University of Rochester<\/a>\u2019s Anne S. Meyer<\/a> has developed a low-cost solution using a standard plastic 3D printer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe aim to create DIY bioprinters using inexpensive, easily obtainable parts, so that they are affordable and easy for other scientists to make in their own labs as well,\u201d says Meyer, a professor in the Department of Biology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"A
IN A SLURRY TO GET THINGS DONE:<\/strong> A support gel called a slurry holds up and helps solidify bio-ink. (URochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

BYO-bioprinter<\/h3>\n

In a recent study<\/a> published in ACS Applied Polymer Materials<\/em>, Meyer and colleagues from URochester and Cornell University modified a regular plastic 3D printer by removing the plastic filament extruder and replacing it with a syringe pump that squeezes out bio-ink\u2014a specialized formula that mixes living cells with a polymer solution. Once printed, the bio-ink hardens into a gel.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur syringe can also perform both extrusion and retraction, preventing oozing at the edges of printed structures,\u201d says Meyer. \u201cThis new setup allows for printing of crisp shapes with well-defined edges.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the true spirit of DIY, Meyer\u2019s lab constructed the customized bioprinter at a cost of $450. All the parts are easily available, adds Meyer, allowing other labs to build their own version of the printer and syringe pump. Instructions<\/a> are available on the GitHub platform.<\/p>\n

\"A
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE:<\/strong> A prototype hydrogel cylinder in a calcium chloride slurry made using a modified 3D printer. Choosing which cells are included, as well as their final shape, is among the benefits of creating living materials with a 3D printer. (URochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reaching new heights<\/h3>\n

While previous DIY 3D bioprinters were limited to printing structures of less than 20 layers, \u201cOur upgraded printer can create living structures that are significantly taller and more complex than was previously possible, and it can even create hollow cavities within the prints,\u201d says Meyer, noting that the upgraded DIY printer can print living materials with more than 100 layers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis opens up possibilities to make structures that have a high surface-to-volume ratio, so that the embedded bacteria can more efficiently receive signals or nutrients from the environment and can excrete any useful products much more rapidly into their surroundings,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

\"Postdoc
LOOK-INK GOOD:<\/strong> Postdoctoral student Danielle Bennett (left) and Meyer examine a prototype made using the lab\u2019s modified 3D bioprinter. (URochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Researchers also developed a support gel called a slurry that the bioprinter prints into, which holds up bio-ink and helps it solidify quickly and at any height.<\/p>\n

Two types of slurry were created: one for easy removal of the print, and one for incubation that allows microbes in the bioprints to stay alive in the slurry for four or more weeks. In previous methods, the printed bacteria started to die after about nine days.<\/p>\n

The new slurry could have a significant impact on the research of biofilms\u2014three-dimensional communities of microorganisms, such as bacteria, that adhere to surfaces\u2014that can be both harmful and beneficial to humans.<\/p>\n

For Meyer, the benefit of using different methods of incubation is the possibility \u201cto create engineered biofilm materials that either have more biofilm characteristics<\/a>, allowing study of and testing on medically relevant biofilm, or that have stronger mechanical properties, allowing them to be used for applications.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A low-cost 3D bioprinter developed by URochester researchers could make the process more accessible for labs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1492,"featured_media":733352,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[38642,18722,43832,18572,16072,93],"class_list":["post-733332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sci-tech","tag-anne-s-meyer","tag-department-of-biology","tag-research-advances-sustains","tag-research-finding","tag-school-of-arts-and-sciences","tag-sustainability"],"acf":{"external":"","hide_featured_image":false,"related":"show_related","style":[499022,476562,536322],"content_modules":null},"yoast_head":"\nBioprinting on a budget<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A low-cost 3D bioprinter developed by URochester researchers could make the process more accessible for labs.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-3d-bioprinting-advancements-733332\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bioprinting on a budget\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A low-cost 3D bioprinter developed by URochester researchers could make the process more accessible for labs.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-3d-bioprinting-advancements-733332\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-11-13T15:39:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/fea-bioprinting-meyer-1200x630.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sheila Rayam\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sheila Rayam\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/what-is-3d-bioprinting-advancements-733332\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/what-is-3d-bioprinting-advancements-733332\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sheila Rayam\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/84398cc27b2ccd7a9cd0d8fb8660ef0b\"},\"headline\":\"Bioprinting on a budget\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-13T15:39:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/what-is-3d-bioprinting-advancements-733332\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":677,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/what-is-3d-bioprinting-advancements-733332\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/fea-bioprinting-meyer.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Anne S. 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