Patient-specific 3D bioprinting for in situ tissue engineering and regenerative medicine

3D printing is one of the fundamental technologies that significantly contributes to medicine personalization. Unlike the general medical approach, personalized medicine suggests more effective and patient-oriented treatments at different levels, which accounts for specific needs and characteristics of the patient. Furthermore, healthcare providers can significantly increase their efficiency by customizing treatment strategies, predicting treatment outcomes more precisely, and minimizing the risks of failures. Main medical applications that involve 3D bioprinting technology can be arranged into three categories: (1) 3D bioprinting of vascularized organs and tissues in vitro, (2) in situ bioprinting and, (3) 3D in vitro tissue models. Various constructs have already been successfully produced using 3D technology, including printing of cells, blood vessels, cartilages, bones, bandages, corneas, liver tissues for drug tests, and customized drugs. The recent advances in 3D human tissues and organs modeling allowed numerous studies on infection’s mechanisms and effects of different therapeutic agents and drugs on 3D-printed human tissues. For the past decade, several successful cases of fabrication functional organs using 3D printing technologies have been reported. In parallel with in vitro 3D bioprinting technology, in situ 3D printing directly onto the defect site is developing rapidly. Recent studies have demonstrated that in situ 3D printing provides a powerful technological solution, which is expected to become a routine in various clinical applications and personalized medical treatments.