Overcoming Scattering in High-Cell-Density Tomographic Volumetric Bioprinting Using Computational Light Optimization

Abstract

Tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing has emerged as a transformative 3D printing technology for rapidly fabricating complex geometries. It offers significant advantages for bioprinting due to its contactless and short process time (a few tens of seconds). However, the presence of high cell densities ($>10^7$ cells mL-1) in bioresins introduces substantial light scattering, which degrades printing resolution and fidelity, hindering the fabrication of biologically relevant microstructures such as vascular channels and cavities. To address this challenge, we utilize a computational patterning framework leveraging physically based inverse rendering to optimize light delivery in scattering environments. This method iteratively refines tomographic projections by simulating light-matter interactions in cell-laden hydrogels, enabling precise compensation for scattering effects. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach achieves 500 $μm$ diameter vascular channels at $2*10^7$ cells mL-1. Furthermore, we integrate this computational method with refractive index matching strategies, reducing scattering artifacts by minimizing optical mismatch between cells and the hydrogel matrix, enabling printing at $4.1*10^7$ cells mL-1. The compatibility of these dual strategies enables unprecedented print fidelity in turbid bioresins. This advancement expands the scope of tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing for engineering functional tissues with intricate microarchitectures.