Understanding
Tissue Engineering

Tissue engineering is a multidisciplinary field that merges materials science, engineering, and biology, with the aim of developing biological environments that restore or enhance human tissue function.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Whaat is tissue engineering?

Tissue engineering is a field that combines living cells, biomaterials, and advanced fabrication techniques to create biologically relevant tissue constructs. It focuses on designing environments that support cell growth, differentiation, and tissue organization for research and therapeutic applications.

Tissue engineering helps researchers better understand human biology, model diseases, and explore regenerative approaches. By recreating tissue-like environments in the lab, it enables more predictive studies, reduces animal testing, and supports the development of next-generation medical and pharmaceutical innovations.
Tissue engineering integrates cells with biomaterials to recreate the structural and functional features of native tissues. Using bioprinting and other fabrication methods, researchers can design scaffolds that precisely position these components in three dimensions. The choice of bioink, its composition, stiffness, and biochemical signals, plays a critical role in guiding cell behavior, organization, and tissue maturation, leading to reproducible and biologically relevant models.
Scaffolds are 3D structures designed to support the growth and organization of living cells. Created from biocompatible materials such as collagen, gelatin, or synthetic hydrogels, they provide the physical and biochemical framework needed for tissue formation. Modern bioprinting technologies enable scaffolds to be precisely shaped and composed with multiple biomaterials, tailoring mechanical properties and biological cues to match specific tissue environments.
Tissue engineering plays a central role in regenerative medicine by enabling the creation of engineered tissues that promote healing or restore biological function. It is used to develop cell-based therapies, improve wound and bone regeneration, and explore strategies for repairing damaged or diseased tissues. These same principles also support research into new biomaterials and in vitro models that accelerate translational progress toward clinical applications.

How we support tissue engineering

BICO supports teams at every stage of the tissue engineering process, offering solutions for biomaterial selection, scaffold fabrication, and analysis.

We support broad applications through versatile instrumentation, including extrusion-based, light-based, and biodispensing bioprinters. These instruments enable the accurate printing of a wide range of bioinks, hydrogels, and base materials, while ensuring sterility and cell viability.

Scaffold fabrication through 3D bioprinting technology

BICO offers the leading 3D bioprinter portfolio through CELLINK, with light- and extrusion-based bioprinting technologies. These enable the fabrication of both simple and complex 3D models, and can adapt to researchers’ target tissues and applications.

A broad portfolio of high-quality hydrogels, bioinks and additives

Through Advanced BioMatrix and CELLINK, we support tissue engineering by providing a vast range of biomaterials, including multiple variants of collagen, hyaluronic acid, gelatin, and alginate to support your specific workflows.

Understanding cell behavior through microscopy and live-cell imaging

With our range of ECHO microscopes and live-cell imagers, we have set out to rethink traditional microscope design. Every aspect of usability, workflow, and performance has been pushed to create a more modern and user-friendly analysis experience.

Sub-Applications

BICO solutions support key applications in tissue engineering, empowering researchers to modernize their research and therapeutic projects.

Regenerative Medicine

Tissue engineering enables the growth of tissues in vitro, which can then be introduced to damaged tissues to stimulate natural regenerative processes. Tissue engineering supports applications like cartilage repair after sports injuries and the use of scaffolds for bone regeneration. Additionally, cell-loaded patches are being explored for repairing heart and liver tissue following injury.

Wound Healing

Wound healing research seeks to accelerate and improve the body’s natural repair processes. By combining advanced biomaterials, cells, and growth factors, tissue engineering supports the development of new strategies to close wounds faster, reduce scarring, and restore healthy tissue function.
Tissue Engineering
Customer Spotlight

Functional Augmentation

Tissue engineering also supports functional restoration and reconstructive applications. Nerve guide conduits are biosynthetic constructs designed to restore nerve function by bridging gaps between damaged nerves. This approach is effective for peripheral nervous system injuries, where nerves have a greater natural ability to regenerate in mild to moderate cases. Nerve conduits can be applied with stem cells or specialized nerve cells to stimulate regeneration. Tissue engineering enables reconstructive and cosmetic applications, including rebuilding facial structures following surgery or restoring breast tissue after mastectomy.

Products for Tissue Engineering

BICO offerings cover biomaterials and instrumentation to support tissue engineering projects across diverse application areas.

Materials by Advanced BioMatrix

3D hydrogels, extracellular matrices, reagents, and more

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BIO X™

The go-to bioprinter for academics, researchers and innovators

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BIO X6™

Delivering unparalleled bioprinting flexibility with 6 printheads

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BIONOVA X

Direct-in-well, high speed and high resolution 3D bioprinting

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LUMEN X™

Experience the standard for benchtop DLP bioprinters

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BIO ONE

Easy-to-use, syringe-based dispensing of hydrogel droplets

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Contact Us

Get in touch with a BICO expert today to discuss your research goals, explore our innovative solutions, and find the approach that perfectly aligns with your lab’s needs. Whether you’re looking for a quote, a product demo, or technical guidance, our team is here to support you every step of the way.
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