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Cellulosebio‑inkten Bevorderen 3D Geneesmiddelleveringssystemen

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Cellulose maakt de overgang van een goedkoop, laagtechnologisch papierproduct naar de essentiële bouwsteen van de volgende generatie duurzame medische productie.

When it comes to medicine, natural products have been part of the pharmacopeia since the dawn of civilization, with plants often forming the basis of effective therapies before the invention of chemical drugs.

Een voordeel van het gebruik van biologische verbindingen is dat ze doorgaans goed samenwerken met het lichaam van een patiënt. Daarom werden materialen zoals hout of ivoor gedurende lange tijd gebruikt voor sommige protheses.

In de moderne tijd onderzoeken wetenschappers het potentieel van biomaterialen om petroleumafgeleide polymeren te vervangen voor medische toepassingen.

Een recente publicatie van onderzoekers van de Gomal University (Pakistan) en de Jiangsu University (China) onderzoekt hoe cellulose, een van de moleculen waaruit hout bestaat, kan worden gebruikt in combinatie met 3D‑printen om bio‑inkten te creëren die kunnen worden ingezet voor geneesmiddellevering, 3D‑printen van zacht weefsel en wondgenezing.

They publish their results in the journal Next Materials1, under the title “Van biomassa tot biofabricage: De rol van cellulose in duurzame 3D‑geprinte geneesmiddelleveringssystemen en weefselregeneratie”.

Cellulose als het Ultieme Duurzame Biomateriaal

While cellulose is produced in especially large amounts by trees for the structural elements of wood, it is an almost omnipresent compound in most plants. As such, it is extremely sustainable, being quite literally produced through photosynthesis out of thin air (CO2), water, and sunlight. Which is why it is also quite cheap, as illustrated by the low cost of mass‑produced paper, made of cellulose fibers. Cellulose is also biocompatible and biodegradable.

A polymer of glucose, cellulose, can also be 3D printed, which opens the way to many new applications in the medical field.

In this study, the researchers explore the potential of 3D‑printed cellulose for many applications:

  • Gepersonaliseerde geneesmiddelleveringssystemen.
  • Weefseltechniek voor nieuwe manieren om beschadigde organen en weefsels te repareren.
  • Het testen van een geneesmiddel in kunstmatige 3D‑geprinte weefselmodellen die de in‑vivo omgeving nabootsen.

To do so, they reviewed scientific articles published from 2015 to 2025 that combined keywords such as “cellulose”, “nanocellulose”, “bacterial cellulose”, “3D bioprinting”, “bioinks”, “drug delivery”, “tissue engineering”, “hydrogels”, and “stimuli-responsive biomaterials”

Cellulose Omzetten in een Medisch Biomateriaal

Manipuleren van Cellulosekristallen

Cellulose can exist in two forms, with most cellulose materials existing with a mix of both forms of the molecules:

  • Kristallijn, wat een hogere stabiliteit en mechanische sterkte heeft.
  • Amorf, wat minder gestructureerd is, waardoor interacties met andere moleculen gemakkelijker kunnen verlopen.

Depending on the intended effect, both forms of cellulose can be useful for medical applications.

Meer stabiele kristallijne cellulose vertoont tragere biogebrokenheidspercentages in vivo, wat nuttig is voor toepassingen die langdurige mechanische integriteit vereisen, zoals weefseltechniek‑scaffolds, wondverbanden en langdurige geneesmiddelleveringssystemen.

Amorfe cellulose kan toegankelijker zijn voor enzymatische aanval en vochtopname, wat leidt tot snellere afbraak en verbeterde bioresorptie voor weefselremodellering.

This makes preparing the cellulose structure according to a specific application’s needs an essential part of any process looking to use it for medical purposes.

“Tailoring cellulose chemistry and microstructure is essential for optimizing scaffold stability, cellular interactions, therapeutic release profiles, and overall biofabrication performance in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.”

Cellulosegebaseerde Derivaten

Besides pure cellulose, other compounds produced from cellulose also have medical potential. For example, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), and nanocellulose:

  • CMC wordt gebruikt als stabiliserend en verdikkend ingrediënt in medicijnsamenstellingen.
  • HPMC wordt gebruikt voor het creëren van gecontroleerde‑afgifteformuleringen die langzaam geneesmiddelen aan een patiënt leveren.
  • MCC staat bekend om zijn uitstekende vul‑, desintegratie‑ en bindkwaliteiten in de formulering van farmaceutische tabletten.
  • Nanocellulose is een nieuw, waardevol materiaal voor weefseltechniek‑ en geneesmiddelleveringsapplicaties dankzij het grotere oppervlak.

In any case, bacterial cellulose is often preferred over plant‑based cellulose due to its high purity, mechanical strength, water retention, and biocompatibility. It can be used as scaffolding for 3D bioprinting of both hard and soft tissues, from skin to heart muscle, as its microscopic structure mimics the extracellular matrix nanofibrous structures that support tissue regeneration.

Cellulose in 3D‑bioprinting

Bioprintmethoden

Bioprinting cellulose and tissues with a cellulose scaffolding can be done using a variety of methods, each better suited to a specific type of cellulose.

For example, CNF‑rich bioinks are particularly compatible with extrusion‑based bioprinting. In contrast, inkjet bioprinting needs optimization of viscosity to work with cellulose bioinks.

Cellulose also does not need to be the sole ingredient in cellulose‑based bioinks. Other biomaterials can be part of the mix to increase the survival of the cells incorporated in the bioink.

“Adding cellulose nanocrystals to bioinks based on gelatin and alginate improved their mechanical qualities and increased cell viability, making these blends appropriate for a range of tissue engineering uses.”

Toepassingen van Cellulosebio‑inkten

Thanks to its tunable structure, cellulose can be a great solution to customize the speed and duration of drug delivery.

“Recent developments in processing methods, like 3D printing and electrospinning, have created new opportunities for creating cellulose‑based drug delivery devices with improved mechanical qualities and adjustable release profiles.”

For tissue engineering, cellulose creates a valuable scaffolding on which cells can attach, grow, and form new healthy tissues, as its porous nature allows for the interchange of nutrients and waste products while encouraging cell adhesion and proliferation.

For example, cellulose can be used to simulate the extracellular matrix in skin and cartilage scaffolds, providing a platform for tissue integration and cellular infiltration. It can also be used in the production of artificial tissues from cells cultivated in a lab.

This method can be extended to the production of “organ‑on‑chip models”, a platform for drug testing that replicates in vitro the functioning of human organs.

Another application is wound healing. When mixed with graphene oxide, cellulose demonstrates remarkable antibacterial qualities. Alongside the scaffolding capability that improves cell migration and proliferation, this means cellulose bioinks can help tissue regeneration, especially for the skin.

Toekomstige Verbeteringen

Among future improvements can be the use of cellulose as a more durable scaffolding material, alongside a “sacrificial template”.

“Sacrificial materials such as gelatin, Pluronic F127, or carbohydrate glass are co‑printed alongside cellulose‑containing bioinks and subsequently removed by temperature change, dissolution, or washing processes. These engineered porous architectures significantly improve cell survival, tissue maturation, and vascularization in thick bioprinted constructs.”

A key factor in scaling up any 3D bioprinting method using cellulose bioinks will also be the creation of a large and consistent supply of cellulose matching predictable and stable purification requirements, addressing sterilization challenges, and maintaining microscopic composition and uniformity.

Investeren in Bioprinting

3D Systems

(DDD )

3D Systems is a leader in 3D printing, with 1,000+ patents and the ability to 3D print 130 materials, producing more than a million parts daily. It is one of the world’s largest 3D printing companies alongside Nano Dimension (NNDM ) after a period of consolidation for the industry.

3D Systems moved early into bioprinting in 2017 with a research collaboration with United Therapeutics (UTHR) for 3D‑printed organs and tissues. And it announced a collaboration with CollPlant Biotechnologies (CLGN) in 2020 and the acquisition of bio‑ink maker Allevia in 2021.

The bioprinting activity goes alongside the 3D printing of implants for surgeries, with a cumulative total of 3,000,000 serial‑component medical devices produced, as well as customized dentures.

By the end of 2025, the healthcare segment accounted for almost half of the company’s revenue. The other part is mostly driven by industrial applications, with a focus on metal 3D printing, especially in the aerospace sector, for a total of $95.5M in Q1 2026.

Thanks to positive EBITDA in early 2026, 3D Systems is probably one of the “safest” 3D printing stocks, as a leader in the sector in the booming metal 3D printing segment and already firmly established in the healthcare segment, with potential for bioinks and 3D printing to grow into a third profit center.

Studie Gerefereerd

1 . Asma Ashgar, et al. From biomass to biofabrication: The role of cellulose in sustainable 3D-printed drug delivery systems and tissue regeneration. Next Materials. Volume 13, October D2026, 102601. https&#58//doi.org/10.1016/j.nxmate.2026.102601

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Jonathan is een voormalig onderzoeker in de biochemie die werkte aan genetische analyse en klinische onderzoeken. Hij is nu een aandelenanalist en financieel schrijver met een focus op innovatie, marktcycli en geopolitiek in zijn publicatie The Eurasian Century.