Myocardium-Vasculature Conformal 3D Printing Strategy

The spatial coupling between aligned myocardial fibers and hierarchical vascular networks is essential for recapitulating cardiac tissue architecture, promoting functional maturation, and enabling regenerative repair. To address this challenge, we developed a  myocardium-vasculature conformal 3D printing strategy. A microfluidic rotational printing technology (FLASH) was established to enable the controlled assembly of high-cell-density microfibers, achieving cross-scale fabrication from cellular alignment to helically organized myocardial tissues and complex cardiac chambers. In parallel, we developed a hierarchical nested embedded bioprinting strategy (SPIRIT), which leverages omnidirectional elastic confinement and interfacial complexation to achieve precise formation and stable perfusion of vascular networks with controllable wall thickness within complex chambers. Building on these advances, development-inspired multimodal conditioning and intelligent monitoring were further integrated to promote structural remodeling and functional maturation of engineered myocardial tissues, with regenerative efficacy validated in myocardial infarction animal models.

Yongcong Fang is an Assistant Professor and Ph.D. Supervisor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tsinghua University. He has been selected for the Beijing Nova Program and the Young Talent Support Program of the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, and has received the New Investigator Award from the International Society for Biofabrication (ISBF), the ICCES Young Scientist Award, and the China Machinery Industry Science and Technology Award, among other honors. He received both his B.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tsinghua University, with joint doctoral training at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen–Nürnberg in Germany. His research focuses on biofabrication and cardiac regeneration, with particular interests in complex tissue bioprinting, bioartificial hearts, organoids, and intelligent biomanufacturing. As first or corresponding author, he has published 26 papers in journals including Advanced Materials (2 papers), Cell Biomaterials, Matter, and Trends in Biotechnology, including five ESI Highly Cited/Hot Papers, with more than 2,400 Google Scholar citations. He has been granted or filed 17 invention patents and has contributed to one academic monograph. He has led research projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Beijing Natural Science Foundation, and the National Key Research and Development Program of China.