Longevity & Aging3D Bioprinting Builds Beating Heart Tissue With Programmed Architecture
This comprehensive 2025 review from the University of British Columbia examines how 3D bioprinting is advancing cardiac tissue engineering beyond conventional casting methods. The authors compare four major printing platforms—jetting, stereolithography/DLP, extrusion, and volumetric—and evaluate their trade-offs for cardiac applications. Bioink strategies are shifting from single natural polymers toward hybrid formulations combining bioactivity with synthetic tunability, including conductive and shape-morphing components. Cell sources such as iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and co-culture strategies are reviewed. Applications span cardiac patches, chambered constructs, and organoids. The review concludes that bioprinting's spatial precision in programming cell alignment, stiffness, and vascular pathways positions it as a leading strategy for creating in vivo-like heart tissues.
