Prof Yin Xiao is a Distinguished Professor in Dentistry, Oral Health, and Medicine at Griffith University, an Adjunct Professor in Medical Engineering at the Queensland University of Technology, and an Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland. He was a dental specialist (BDSc 1986 and MDSc 1991 from Wuhan University) and a biomedical scientist (PhD 2000 from the University of Queensland). He is the Founder and the Director of the Australia-China Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (ACCTERM), established in 2013, and the Joint Research Centre Director of Functional Biomaterials for Tissue and Organ Replacement. He is an educator (warm, accessible, enthusiastic, and caring) and an outstanding scientist with over 360 journal papers, three books, and 23 book chapters. His H index is 82 (GS), and his work has been cited over 31,000 times. He was named one of the top 250 researchers in Australia and the field leader in Biomedical Technology in 2019 and 2021 by Australian Research Magazine. He is one of the World’s Top 2% Scientists in the AD Scientific Index.

Topic title: Bio-functional properties of bone bio-ink containing bone particles

Abstract:

Although bio-inks that combine both high printabilities, characterized by adequate flow properties, and shape fidelity while maintaining high cell viability have been developed, the bio-functionality of the resulting bio-printed construct needs to be addressed. To address this, a GelMA-based bioink biofunctionalized with bone particles (BPs) was developed as a personalized treatment strategy for bone regeneration. The bioink consisted of incorporating BPs of various sizes (0-500µm) in GelMA at various concentrations (ranging from 5%w/v to 15%w/v). The printability of the bioink was systematically investigated and demonstrated that a 15%wt/v BP-loading resulted in high print quality for 10 and 12.5 % GelMA concentrations. The rheological evaluation revealed a strong shear thinning behaviour essential for printing and high gel strength in bio-ink with 15%w/v 0-500µm BPs for both GelMA concentrations. In addition, the printability of the bioink and the metabolic activity of the resulting scaffolds were dependent on both the concentration of hydrogel and the size of the BPs. Importantly, the cells initially contained in the BPs were able to migrate and colonize the bio-printed scaffold while maintaining their capacity to express early osteogenic markers. This study demonstrated the feasibility of bio-printed viable bone particles and may have some potential for chairside clinical translation.