Bioinks

What are bioinks and how will they assist with bioscaffold technology?

                Bioinks are liquid cell suspensions housed in what are basically printing cartridges.  Their basic function is tissue regeneration, usually on superficial surfaces.  The cells remain in suspension in the cartridges until they are sprayed out along with another cartridge filled with a liquid matrix material, at which time they all bind together with the help of various proteins and biological factors.  The binding of the cells with the matrix material forms a type of bioscaffold which starts the regeneration process.  This technology is expected to be especially useful in the field of skin repair.  Burns and small lacerations will be easily mended with the use of bioinks. 

                Although initial bioink developments began with skin regeneration, the technology has advanced to also incorporate bone and muscle.  This makes bioinks a total regenerative technology.  Although it may seem like fiction now, in the last few decades, movies have depicted the full repair and replacement of all bodily tissues.  Not only have they shown the full repair, but the process has been rapid, showing regeneration almost instantaneously.  As of now, the technology to spray on tissue and cause regeneration has been developed.  All that must be accomplished now is the rapid regeneration and seemingly impossible science fiction becomes reality.  That is the technology of bioscaffolds and bioink technology.