A07 | Influence of anisotropic fiber-reinforcement on cell behavior and printability of bioinks

In subproject A07, electrospinning is applied to generate submicron-fibers, which can be printed as fillers in composite bioinks. Such fiber reinforcement can be conducted to reduce the hydrogel’s polymer concentration resulting in enhanced cell mobility within the printed construct while maintaining the bioink’s printability in terms of shape fidelity. Furthermore, flow-induced anisotropically aligned fibers can serve as a substrate for cell-adhesion contributing to oriented cell growth. Based on the first funding period, cell-specific reactions will now be identified applying tailored fiber-matrix-formulations and the shear-rheological characterization will be expanded to include extensional rheological models representing 3D-printing.

Dr.-Ing. Gregor Lang
Prof. Dr. Dirk Schubert
Dr. Natascha Schäfer

Dr.-Ing. Gregor Lang

University of Bayreuth, Department of Engineering, Biopolymerprocessing
Contact: gregor.lang@uni-bayreuth.de

Scientific Leadership: Boards, Committees

Prof. Dr. Dirk Schubert

Institute for Polymer Materials of the Material Science department
Contact: dirk.schubert@fau.de

Scientific Leadership: Boards, Committees

Dr. Natascha Schäfer

University Hospital of Würzburg, Institute for Clinical Neurobiology
Contact: schaefer_n1@ukw.de

Scientific Leadership: Boards, Committees

Zan Lamberger

Previous academic education: M.Sc. Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (University of Bayreuth), B.Sc. Biochemistry (University of Bayreuth)
Academic Advisor within SFB/TRR 225: Dr.-Ing. Gregor Lang
Location: University Hospital Würzburg, Department of Functional Materials in Medicine and Dentistry
Topic of thesis: Influence of anisotropic fiber-reinforcement on cell behavior and printability of bioinks
Main techniques and methodologies to be used: 3D printing/bioprinting, 3D cell culture, bioink development and characterization, electrospinning, melt electrowriting, polymer synthesis, biofunctionalization

Contact: zan.lamberger@fmz.uni-wuerzburg.de

Margitta Büchner

Previous academic education: M.Sc. in Chemical & Biological Engineering
Academic Advisor within SFB/TRR 225: Prof. Dr. Dirk W. Schubert; Co-Advisor: Stefan Schrüfer
Location: Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Lehrstuhl für Polymerwerkstoffe – LSP
Topic of thesis: …fiber reinforced hydrogels for biofabrication…
Main techniques and methodologies to be used: Electrospinning, Rheology, Bioprinting, Process analysis and optimization, Modelling, Polymer characterization

Contact: margitta.buechner@fau.de

Nicoletta Murenu

Previous academic education: Master of Medical Biotechnologies – University of Milano Bicocca

Academic Advisor within SFB/TRR 225: Dr. Natascha Schäfer
Location: University Hospital Würzburg, Institute for Clinical Neurobiology
Topic of thesis: Characterization of cell behavior in multiple 3D environments based on various hydrogel/fiber compositions
Main techniques and methodologies to be used: 2D/3D cell culture, Bioprinting, Microscopy, Cell migration assays

Contact: murenu.n@ukw.de

2022

Gerum R, Mirzahossein E, Eroles M, Elsterer J, Mainka A, Bauer A, Sonntag S, Winterl A, Bartl J, Fischer L, Abuhattum S, Goswami R, Girardo S, Guck J, Schrufer S, Strohlein N, Nosratlo M, Herrmann H, Schultheis D, Rico F, Muller SJ, Gekle S, Fabry B, Viscoelastic properties of suspended cells measured with shear flow deformation cytometry, Elife 11 (2022). (A01, A07, B07)

Schaefer N, Harvey RJ, Villmann C, Startle Disease: New Molecular Insights into an Old Neurological Disorder, Neuroscientist doi:10.1177/10738584221104724  (2022) 10738584221104724. (B01, A07, C05)

Bednarzig V, Schrufer S, Schneider TC, Schubert DW, Detsch R, Boccaccini AR, Improved 3D Printing and Cell Biology Characterization of Inorganic-Filler Containing Alginate-Based Composites for Bone Regeneration: Particle Shape and Effective Surface Area Are the Dominant Factors for Printing Performance, Int J Mol Sci 23(9) (2022). (A07)

Haag H, Sonnleitner D, Lang G, Dalton PD, Melt electrowriting to produce microfiber fragments, Polymers for Advanced Technologies doi:10.1002/pat.5641  (2022). (A04, A07)

Karakaya E, Bider F, Frank A, Teßmar J, Schöbel L, Forster L, Schrüfer S, Schmidt H-W, Schubert DW, Blaeser A, Boccaccini AR, Detsch R, Targeted Printing of Cells: Evaluation of ADA-PEG Bioinks for Drop on Demand Approaches, Gels 8(4) (2022). (B06, A02, A04, A07)

Lang G, Sonnleitner D, Biomimetic Protein‑based Elastomers – Processing and Properties of regenerated B. mori silk and recombinant spider silk fibers, Royal Society of Chemistry (2022). (A07)

2021

Fischhaber N, Faber J, Bakirci E, Dalton PD, Budday S, Villmann C, Schaefer N, Spinal Cord Neuronal Network Formation in a 3D Printed Reinforced Matrix-A Model System to Study Disease Mechanisms, Adv Healthc Mater doi:10.1002/adhm.202100830  (2021) e2100830. (B01, Z01)

Kappelmann-Fenzl M, Schmidt SK, Fischer S, Schmid R, Lammerhirt L, Fischer L, Schrufer S, Thievessen I, Schubert DW, Matthies A, Detsch R, Boccaccini AR, Arkudas A, Kengelbach-Weigand A, Bosserhoff AK, Molecular Changes Induced in Melanoma by Cell Culturing in 3D Alginate Hydrogels, Cancers (Basel) 13(16) (2021). (C03, A01, A07, B06)

Sonnleitner D, Sommer C, Scheibel T, Lang G, Approaches to inhibit biofilm formation applying natural and artificial silk-based materials, Mat Sci Eng C-Mater 131 (2021). (A07, C01)

Schmid R, Schmidt SK, Detsch R, Horder H, Blunk T, Schrüfer S, Schubert DW, Fischer L, Thievessen I, Heltmann‐Meyer S, Steiner D, Schneidereit D, Friedrich O, Grüneboom A, Amouei H, Wajant H, Horch RE, Bosserhoff AK, Arkudas A, Kengelbach‐Weigand A, A New Printable Alginate/Hyaluronic Acid/Gelatin Hydrogel Suitable for Biofabrication of In Vitro and In Vivo Metastatic Melanoma Models, Adv. Funct. Mater. doi:10.1002/adfm.202107993 (2021). (C03, A01, A07, B06, B08, C02, C04)

Sonnleitner D, Schrüfer S, Berglund L, Schubert DW, Lang G, Correlating rheology and printing performance of fiber-reinforced bioinks to assess predictive modelling for biofabrication, Journal of Materials Research doi:10.1557/s43578-021-00276-5  (2021). (A07)

Sonnleitner D, Schäfer N, Wieland A, Fischer L, Pasberg P, Thievessen I, Lang G, PCL micro-dumbbells – A new class of polymeric particles reveals morphological biofunctionality, Applied Materials Today 24 (2021). (A07, B06)

Schubert DW, Simple Model for the Spreading of Inks in Bioprinting—Revealing Relevant Scaling Laws—Part I Theory, Macromol. Theory Simul. doi:10.1002/mats.202100032  (2021). (A07)

Reakasame S, Dranseikiene D, Schrüfer S, Zheng K, Schubert DW, Boccaccini AR, Development of alginate dialdehyde-gelatin based bioink with methylcellulose for improving printability, Mat Sci Eng C-Mater doi:10.1016/j.msec.2021.112336  (2021) (B03, A07)

Hesselbarth R, Esser TU, Roshanbinfar K, Schrufer S, Schubert DW, Engel FB, CHIR99021 Promotes hiPSC-Derived Cardiomyocyte Proliferation in Engineered 3D Microtissues, Adv Healthc Mater doi:10.1002/adhm.202100926  (2021) e2100926. (C01, A07)

Hazur J, Endrizzi N, Schubert DW, Boccaccini AR, Fabry B, Stress relaxation amplitude of hydrogels determines migration, proliferation, and morphology of cells in 3-D, bioRxiv (2021) 2021.07.08.451608 (A01, A07, C02)

Schubert DW, Allen V, Dippel U, Revealing Novel Power Laws and Quantization in Electrospinning Considering Jet Splitting-Toward Predicting Fiber Diameter and Its Distribution Part II Experimental, Adv. Eng. Mater. 23(3) (2021). (A07)

Munawar MA, Schubert DW, Highly Oriented Electrospun Conductive Nanofibers of Biodegradable Polymers-Revealing the Electrical Percolation Thresholds, ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. (2021), 3, 6, 2889–2901 (2021). (A07)

2020

Tolksdorf J, Horch RE, Gruner JS, Schmid R, Kengelbach-Weigand A, Schubert DW, Werner S, Schneidereit D, Friedrich O, Ludolph I, Size matters-in vitro behaviour of human fibroblasts on textured silicone surfaces with different pore sizes, J. Mater. Sci.: Mater. Med. 31(2) (2020) 23. (C04, B08, A07, C03)

Schubert DW, Novel Theoretical Self‐Consistent Mean‐Field Approach to Describe the Conductivity of Carbon Fiber‐Filled Thermoplastics: Part III—Application of the Concept to Mechanical Properties of Composites and Polymer Solutions, Adv. Eng. Mater. 22(9) (2020). (A07)

Schrufer S, Sonnleitner D, Lang G, Schubert DW, A Novel Simple Approach to Material Parameters from Commonly Accessible Rheometer Data, Polymers 12(6) (2020) 1276. (A07)

Schmid R, Schmidt SK, Hazur J, Detsch R, Maurer E, Boccaccini AR, Hauptstein J, Tessmar J, Blunk T, Schrufer S, Schubert DW, Horch RE, Bosserhoff AK, Arkudas A, Kengelbach-Weigand A, Comparison of Hydrogels for the Development of Well-Defined 3D Cancer Models of Breast Cancer and Melanoma, Cancers 12(8) (2020) 2320. (C03, A01, A02, A07, C02)

Rausch M, Bohringer D, Steinmann M, Schubert DW, Schrufer S, Mark C, Fabry B, Measurement of Skeletal Muscle Fiber Contractility with High-Speed Traction Microscopy, Biophys. J. 118(3) (2020) 657-666. (A01, A07)

Muller SJ, Mirzahossein E, Iftekhar EN, Bacher C, Schrufer S, Schubert DW, Fabry B, Gekle S, Flow and hydrodynamic shear stress inside a printing needle during biofabrication, PLoS One 15(7) (2020) 0236371. (B07, A01, A07)

Mirzaei Z, Kuth S, Schubert DW, Detsch R, Roether JA, Blunk T, Kordestani SS, Boccaccini AR, Preparation and Characterization of Electrospun Blend Fibrous Polyethylene Oxide:Polycaprolactone Scaffolds to Promote Cartilage Regeneration, Adv. Eng. Mater. 22(9) (2020). (A01, A02, A07, B06)

Kumari S, Lang G, DeSimone E, Spengler C, Trossmann VT, Lucker S, Hudel M, Jacobs K, Kramer N, Scheibel T, Data for microbe resistant engineered recombinant spider silk protein based 2D and 3D materials, Data Brief 32 (2020) 106305. (C01, A07)

Kumari S, Lang G, DeSimone E, Spengler C, Trossmann VT, Lucker S, Hudel M, Jacobs K, Kramer N, Scheibel T, Engineered spider silk-based 2D and 3D materials prevent microbial infestation, Mater. Today 41 (2020) 21-33. (C01, A07)

Hazur J, Detsch R, Karakaya E, Kaschta J, Tessmar J, Schneidereit D, Friedrich O, Schubert DW, Boccaccini AR, Improving alginate printability for biofabrication: establishment of a universal and homogeneous pre-crosslinking technique, Biofabrication 12(4) (2020) 045004. (A01, A02, A07, B06, B08)

Dranseikiene D, Schrufer S, Schubert DW, Reakasame S, Boccaccini AR, Cell-laden alginate dialdehyde-gelatin hydrogels formed in 3D printed sacrificial gel, J. Mater. Sci.: Mater. Med. 31(3) (2020) 31. (A01, A07)

2019

Steiner D, Lang G, Fischer L, Winkler S, Fey T, Greil P, Scheibel T, Horch RE, Arkudas A, Intrinsic Vascularization of Recombinant eADF4(C16) Spider Silk Matrices in the Arteriovenous Loop Model, Tissue Eng Part A 25(21-22) (2019) 1504-1513. (C04, A07, C01, C03)

Schubert DW, Revealing Novel Power Laws and Quantization in Electrospinning Considering Jet Splitting-Toward Predicting Fiber Diameter and Its Distribution, Macromol. Theory Simul. 28(4) (2019). (A07)

2018

Stafiej P, Küng F, Kruse FE, Schubert DW, Fuchsluger TA, Mechanical and Optical Properties of PCL Nanofiber Reinforced Alginate Hydrogels for Application in Corneal Wound Healing, Biomater Med Appl 2(2) (2018). (A07)

2022

Natascha Schäfer “Why do we need 3D neuronal tissue models? Looking beyond molecular pathomechanisms of rare diseases” Invited talk im Rahmen der Veranstaltung „GBM Luchtalk” der Gesellschaft für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie, 15.06.2022 (online)

2021

Munawar MA, Schubert DW (2021) Highly Oriented Electrospun Conductive Nanofibers of Biodegradable Polymers-Revealing the Electrical Percolation Thresholds, 31st Annual Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB 2021), 5 to 9 September 2021 (A07)

Munawar MA, Schubert DW (2021) Time-Temperature Superposition in Highly Oriented Electrospun Conductive Nanofibers of Biodegradable Polymers, 31st Annual Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB 2021), 5 to 9 September 2021 (A07)

Schmid R, Schmidt SK, Detsch R, Horder H, Blunk T, Schrüfer S, Schubert DW, Fischer L, Thievessen I, Heltmann-Meyer S, Steiner D, Schneidereit D, Friedrich O, Grüneboom A, Amouei H, Wajant H, Horch RE, Bosserhoff AK, Arkudas A, Kengelbach-Weigand A (2021) A new printable alginate / hyaluronic acid / gelatin hydrogel suitable for biofabrication of in vitro and in vivo metastatic melanoma models, 31st Annual Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB 2021), 5 to 9 September 2021 (C03, A01, A07, B06, B08, C02, C04)

Sonnleitner D, Lang G, Pasberg P, Schäfer N, Fischer L, Thievessen I (2021) PCL Micro-Dumbbells – A New Class of Polymeric Particles Reveals Morphological Biofunctionality, 31st Annual Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB 2021), 5 to 9 September 2021 (A07, B06)

Schruefer S, Schubert DW (2021) Strut spreading measurements as shape fidelity prediction tool, 31st Annual Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB 2021), 5 to 9 September 2021 (A07)

2020

Lang G, Kumari S, DeSimone E, Trossmann V, Hudel M, Spengler C, Krämer N,Jacobs K, Scheibel T (2020) Recombinant Spider Silk Films and Hydrogels with intrinsic Bacteriostatic and Fungistatic Properties, 5th Bioinspired Materials 2020 Conference, 16 – 19 March 2020 – Web conference

Lang G, Kumari S, DeSimone E, Trossmann V, Hudel M, Spengler C, Krämer N,Jacobs K, Scheibel T (2020) Bio-selective bacteriostatic and fungistatic surfaces made of recombinant spider silk proteins, 8th International Conference on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICONN 2020), 9 – 13 Febrauary 2020, Brisbane, Australia

2019

Lang G, Kumari S, Desimone E, Spengler C, Lücker S, Hudel M, Jacobs K, Krämer N, Scheibel T (2019) Bio-selective bacteriostatic and fungistatic surfaces made of recombinant spider silk proteins, 30th Annual Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials in tandem with the 26thAnnual Conference of the German Society for Biomaterials (DGBM); September 9 to 13, 2019 (Dresden, Germany)

Schrüfer S (2019) Rheology of alginates – some new insights, Scientific Seminar of the North Bavarian Biomaterials Alliance (NBBA), 21 February 2019 (Erlangen, Germany)

Schrüfer S (2019) Rheology on alginates, DGM Regionalforum Erlangen, „Metallische Werkstoffe für die Mobilität“ 4 February 2019, (Erlangen, Germany)

Lang G (2019) Bio-selective bacteriostatic and fungistatic surfaces made of recombinant spider silk proteins, 9th biennial Australian Colloid and Interface Symposium (ACIS) 3 – 7 February 2019 (Hobart, Tasmania, Australia)

Sonnleitner D (2019) Poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) particle – hydrogel colloid system for enhanced cell interaction, 9th biennial Australian Colloid and Interface Symposium (ACIS) 3 – 7 February 2019 (Hobart, Tasmania, Australia)

2022

Nicoletta Murenu, Impact of Dumbbell shaped nanofibers on cells behaviour #93, EUREKA!, Würzburg (Germany) on 5-6 October 2022

Stefan Schrüfer, Vera Bednarzig , T. C. Schneider, Dirk W. Schubert, Rainer Detsch, Aldo R. Boccaccini  Improving 3D printability of inorganic-filler containing alginate based bio ink composites: Influence of filler activity and specific surface area       Nordic Polyer Days 2022, 01.06-03.06.2022. Poster Prize              A07

Zan Lamberger, Christina Heinritz, K. Kocourková, H. Bargel, A. Minařík, Martin Humenik             Microstructuring of DNA Functionalized Fibrous Networks for Spatially Controlled Cell Attachment                 A07

Gregor Lang       Composite Bio-Inks: Multi-Tasking Biofabrication B&B_037          Meeting of The International Society for Biofabrication 2022, Montecatini Terme (Italy) on 25-28- September 2022 https://www.biofabrication2022.org/                A07

Nicoletta Murenu            Dumbbell shaped nanofibers induce changes in cell Characteristics B&B_047      Meeting of The International Society for Biofabrication 2022, Montecatini Terme (Italy) on 25-28- September 2022 https://www.biofabrication2022.org/   A07

Zan Lamberger Microstructuring of DNA Functionalized Fibrous Networks for Spatially Controlled Cell Attachment IVM_045             Meeting of The International Society for Biofabrication 2022, Montecatini Terme (Italy) on 25-28- September 2022 https://www.biofabrication2022.org/ A07

Zan Lamberger, Nicoletta Murenu, Margitta Büchner, Gregor Lang, Natascha Schäfer, Dirk Schubert       SFB/TRR 225 Project A07: Influence of anisotropic fiber-reinforcement on cell behavior and printability of bioinks      Symposium “Biofabrication meets Infection” Würzburg on 25-28- September 2022  A07

Margitta Büchner            Development of a Capillary Rheometer for Characterization of Bioinks during 3D Bioprinting NTB_045             Meeting of The International Society for Biofabrication 2022, Montecatini Terme (Italy) on 25-28- September 2022 https://www.biofabrication2022.org/ A07

Rafael Schmid, Sonja K. Schmidt, Rainer Detsch, Hannes Horder, Torsten Blunk, Stefan Schrüfer, Dirk W. Schubert, Lena Fischer, Ingo Thievessen, Stefanie Heltmann-Meyer, Dominik Steiner, Dominik Schneidereit, Oliver Friedrich, Anika Grüneboom, Hanna Amouei, Harald Wajant, Raymund E. Horch, Anja K. Bosserhoff, Andreas Arkudas, Annika Kengelbach-Weigand    A New Printable Alginate/Hyaluronic Acid/Gelatin Hydrogel Suitable for Biofabrication of In Vitro and In Vivo Metastatic Melanoma Models TERMIS EU 2022               C03 and A01, A07, B06, B08, C02, C04

2019

Schrüfer S, Schubert DW (2019) Revealing critical model parameters for predicting the bioprintability of hydrogel systems, 16th biennial Bayreuth Polymer Symposium 2019 – 22.-24.09.2019 (Bayreuth, Germany)

Schrüfer S, Schubert DW (2019) Revealing critical model parameters for predicting the bioprintability of hydrogel systems, 30th Annual Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials in tandem with the 26thAnnual Conference of the German Society for Biomaterials (DGBM); September 9 to 13, 2019 (Dresden, Germany)

Allen V, Gunselmann U, Schubert DW (2019) Revealing novel power laws and quantization in electrospinning considering jet splitting – Experimental, 30th Annual Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials in tandem with the 26thAnnual Conference of the German Society for Biomaterials (DGBM); September 9 to 13, 2019 (Dresden, Germany)

Schrüfer S, Schubert DW (2019)  Revealing critical model parameters for predicting the bioprintability of hydrogel systems, Nordic Polymer Days 2019 5 – 7 June 2019 (Trondheim, Norway)

Schrüfer S, Schubert DW (2019) Shear rheology of hydrogels – some new insights, 6th international symposium Interface Biology of Implants – IBI2019, 8 – 10 May 2019 (Warnemünde, Germany)

2018

Schrüfer S, Himmler M, Schubert DW (2018) Shear rheology of nanofiber reinforced alginate solutions for bioprinting – establishing a basis , Jahrestagung der DGBM in Braunschweig 8-10 November 2018 (Braunschweig, Germany)

Verfahren und Messanordnung zum Ermitteln einer Fließeigenschaft eines Fluids “BERIT” (Best Elongation Rheology Investigative Testing), inventors: Dirk W. Schubert (A07), Paul Dalton (A04 and B01), Stefan Schrüfer (A07), DE application number: DE 10 2020 216 545.9, applicant FAU

Florian Küng

Previous academic education: Ph.D. studies on “Development of a suture-able wound-cover based on aligned nano-fibers for corneal application”
Academic Advisor within SFB/TRR 225: Prof. Dr. Dirk W. Schubert
Location: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Lehrstuhl für Polymerwerkstoffe – LSP
Topic of thesis: Development of a suture-able wound-cover based on aligned nano-fibers for corneal application
Main techniques and methodologies to be used: Electrospinning, mechanical and rheological material tests

Stefan Schrüfer

Previous academic education: Master thesis
Academic Advisor within SFB/TRR 225: Prof. Dr. Dirk W. Schubert
Location: Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Lehrstuhl für Polymerwerkstoffe – LSP
Topic of thesis: Conductive PMMA/Silver Nanowire composites
Main techniques and methodologies to be used: Meltspinning, Micro-CT,  conductivity measurement, Mechanical and rheological material tests

Contact: stefan.schruefer@fau.de

Macromolecular Journals – Best Poster Award for Stefan Schrüfer at the 16th biennial Bayreuth Polymer Symposium 2019 – 22.-24.09.2019

Best Poster Award at the 56th Nordic Polymer Days in Trondheim, Norway – 05.06.-07.06.2019

David Sonnleitner

Previous academic education: Diploma Thesis
Academic Advisor within SFB/TRR 225: Prof. Dr. Gregor Lang
Location: University of Bayreuth, Department of Engineering, Biopolymerprocessing
Topic of thesis: Development and characterization of a new bioink-system based on fiber reinforced hydrogels.
Main techniques and methodologies to be used: Bioprinting, Electrospinning, Rheology Measurements, Tensile testing

Contact: David.Sonnleitner@uni-bayreuth.de

Dr.-Ing. Gregor Lang

Prof. Dr. Dirk Schubert

Dr. Natascha Schäfer