Developing a protocol for 3D-printable bioink from decellularised porcine tissue

Sammanfattning: T-cell administration via a scaffold is a promising tool for treatment of inoperable solid tumours. Traditional scaffold materials lack the complexity of the extracellular matrix (ECM) that cells normally grow in. An alternative is to instead use decellularised ECM (dECM) from biological tissue to create the scaffold. By making the scaffold via 3D-printing, its construction can also be a part of making it suitable for cells. This thesis aims to develop a protocol for decellularising a variety of tissues and using the dECM to make a printable biogel. The protocol was tested on three types of porcine tissue: aorta, left ventricle of heart, and skin. To be printable, it should behave as a liquid at 4 ℃ but display a storage modulus of at least 100 Pa when heated to 37 ℃. It should also have a shear thinning behaviour. All these objectives were attained. For characterisation of the dECM, assays to quantify the DNA content and glycosaminoglycane content were performed in order to determine decellularisation- and proteoglycans level respectively. However, no conclusive results were found in these assays.