Laser Direct Write Bioprinting Enriched Cell Types in the Breast Tumor Microenvironment

The most enriched cell types in the breast tumor microenvironment are cancer cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and tumor-associated macrophages. To recapitulate the cellular dynamics of the breast tumor microenvironment in vitro, the most abundant cell types need to be incorporated. Laser direct write bioprinting offers a precise, gentle, and reproducible method to print disparate cell types in user-defined geometries. Herein, we develop novel laser direct write cell printing protocols – first as a customizable generalized framework, which is then adapted to print homotypic and heterotypic cancer-stromal arrays, and human macrophages. We demonstrate the ability to fabricate in vitro heterocellular constructs for studying cell-cell signaling in healthy and diseased microenvironments, as well as the capability to print human immune cells with high fidelity to pave the way for bioprinting immunocompetent tissue models going forward.