Developmental Biology-Based 3D Bioprinting: An Off-the-Shelf Strategy to Induce Tissue Regeneration

The inability of simplistic tissue engineering approaches to produce cell-based treatments has led to a growing understanding of the necessity to recapitulate the natural mechanisms that govern cell fate and differentiation. Converging developments in developmental biology are poised to transform tissue engineering, a hitherto primarily empirical field, into a rigorous discipline founded on widely recognized engineering principles of quality by design. Lately, the tissue engineering research community has experienced a paradigm shift to reconsider research directions in the field to address challenges in clinical translation. This resulted in the need to rely on the in vivo tissue development processes to utilize cells’ innate, evolutionarily programmed ability to self-organize into native tissue-like structures, which may increase the chances of clinical success. The present review emphasizes the potential directions for tissue regeneration that combine off-the-shelf strategies, namely, 3D bioprinting and organoids, following the developmental biology route. The most promising approach in next-generation tissue engineering would be to recapitulate it after gaining a thorough understanding of the embryonic level. Modern developmental re-engineering techniques focus on mimicking the embryonic stages of tissue development rather than concentrating on adult tissue traits. One significant step in this direction is the regulation of many signaling pathways by combining developmental re-engineering with 3D bioprinting. This can aid in bridging the gap between the two disciplines, which may help in the fabrication of mini-models for transplantation or the development of an organ-on-chip platform as a drug screening platform.