13.9.2024
Doctoral Thesis on the incorporation of functionalized wood-derived biomaterials in the bioink systems for bioprinting
M.Sc. (Tech) Qingbo Wang’s doctoral thesis in natural materials technology will be put forth for public defence at the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Åbo Akademi University.
The thesis is entitled Wood-Derived Functional Biomaterials Towards 3D Bioprinting.
The public defence of the doctoral thesis takes place on Friday 20 September 2024 at 1PM in auditorium Argentum, Aurum, Henrikinkatu 2, Turku. You can also follow the defence online. Dr. Gilberto De Freitas Siqueira, EMPA-Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Switzerland, will serve as opponent and Docent Xiaoju Wang, Åbo Akademi University, as custos.
Summary
Bioprinting harnesses 3D printing technologies to create structures that mimic natural tissues, advancing tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
This thesis focused on the incorporation of functionalized wood-derived biomaterials, mainly nanocellulose and hemicellulose, in the bioink systems for bioprinting. The thesis aims to leverage the unique properties of these wood-derived materials for 3D printing, and further address the challenges to achieve bioprinting.
Wood-based materials, such as cellulose, are among the most sustainable biomaterials. However, research in bioprinting has predominantly concentrated on understanding their rheological properties, with minimal attention paid to their role as functional materials that can support cellular growth. This thesis aims to bridge this gap by developing thiolated cellulose nanocrystals, galactoglucomannan methacrylate, and phosphorylated cellulose nanofibrils, and formulating them with aqueous two-phase emulsion. These formulations expand the existing range of biomaterial inks and bioinks for bioprinting.
In summary, in this work, we developed sustainable, and potentially cost-effective wood-derived biomaterials for bioink development. The design of the bioinks shows the potential of wood-derived biomaterials in bioprinting and contributes to the development of the field of biofabrication.
Qingbo Wang can be reached by email qiwang@abo.fi.
The doctoral thesis can be read online through the Doria publication archive.
Click here for a press photo of the doctoral student.
Instructions for following the doctoral defence remotely:
To follow the defence, you need the Zoom software or the Google Chrome browser. You do not need to create a Zoom account to follow the defence. If you install the application, you participate by clicking on the meeting link, after which you should allow the link to open in the Zoom app.