LIFT bioprinting for the study of the immune response

Abstract

Immunology is a transversal field that is governed by a complex network of genetic and signalling pathways subtending a network of interacting cells. Laser bioprinting is a powerful tool to study complex biological systems like the ones that govern the immune response. The high accuracy and non-destructive nature of LIFT (Laser Induced Forward Transfer) is applied to the study of cell-cell interaction. In particular, single cell laser bioprinting helps to understand the relationship between the cell and their local environment. In this context, mobility of the cells in a network, along with their situation and the gene products they interact with, plays an important role in the behaviour of the immune system. In this work, we use a laser induced forward transfer blister assisted (BALIFT) approach to assess these cell-cell interactions in vitro. This method helps to understand properly the role of a cell within a network to increase our knowledge of the immune system response. This work presents BALIFT bioprinting of single hematopoietic cells with high spatial resolution. In particular, NK cells (natural killer) and T-lymphocyte are printed in different laser conditions and specific patterns to study cell viability and cell-cell interaction. By means of this technique, we can place cellular components on a previously designed matrix, allow us to test the molecular interactions between lymphocytes and pathogens.