Biofabrication2026

Technical Program

Track 1. Biomaterials, Hydrogels and Bioinks

• Adaptative Matrices: Engineering Next-Generation Hydrogels for Tissue and Disease Modeling
Chairs:
Prof. Andrea Cosola (Politecnico di Torino, Italy)
Prof. Desirée Baruffaldi (Politecnico di Torino, Italy)
  • Smart biomaterials for adaptive matrices
  • DNA-integrated hydrogels
  • 3D/4D bioprinting of dynamic scaffolds
  • Temporal control of hydrogel mechanical properties
  • In vitro models for disease and tissue regeneration
  • Spatial precision in mechanobiology
  • Design principles of hydrogels and bioinks for biofabrication
  • Structured property function relationships in bioinks
  • Rheological and printability requirements for advanced bioprinting
  • Bioactive, stimuli-responsive, and multifunctional hydrogels
  • Cell-material interactions and biological performance of bioinks
  • Standardization, characterization, and benchmarking of bioinks
  • Translational challenges: scalability, reproducibility, and regulatory aspects
  • Emerging trends in sustainable and smart bioink materials
Chairs:
Ali Ahmadi (École de Technologie Supérieure, Canada)
Ali Tamayol (University of Connecticut, USA)
Hossein Ravanbakhsh (University of Akron, USA)
Mohamadmahdi Samandari (Old Dominion University, USA)
  • Foam-based biofabrication materials
  • Granular and microgel scaffolds
  • Macroporous transport and oxygenation
  • Freeform and embedded bioprinting
  • Hybrid multiphase tissue constructs
Chair:
Francisco M. Fernandes (Sorbonne University, France)

Keynote Speaker:
João Mano (University of Aveiro, Portugal)
  • Cryoprinting for tissue engineering, disease modelling and cell crypreservation
  • Ice templating, freeze casting and directional freezing of macroporous biomaterials
  • Vascularization of scaffolds via controlled porosity
  • New cryogenic technologies for biological systems banking
  • New cryopreservation technologies for tissue banking
  • Cryogels and Cryo(bio)inks
  • Ice nucleating proteins and antifreeze proteins in cryofabrication and cryobiology
  • Engineering the cell environment through controlled ice nucleation and growth
  • In situ analytical techniques for cell freezing investigation
Chair: Prof. Shabir Hassan (Department of Biological Sciences, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates)

Keynote speakers:
Prof. Joao Mano (University of Aveiro, Portugal)
Prof. Peter Corridon (Khalifa University, United Arab Emirates)
Prof. Shabir Hassan (Khalifa University, United Arab Emirates)
Prof. Ricardo Levato (Utrecht University, Clinical Sciences, Netherlands)
  • Fundamentals of dECM Sourcing and Decellularization: Optimizing protocols for diverse tissues (e.g., skin, adipose, placenta) to balance cell removal with ECM preservation.
  • Advanced Characterization of dECM Bioactivity: Moving beyond histology to quantify the retention of key matrisome components (collagens, GAGs, growth factors) and their biological impact.
  • Next-Generation dECM Bioinks: Strategies for formulating, functionalizing, and 3D bioprinting with dECM to create complex, biomimetic constructs.
  • Integration of Bioprinted dECM with Host Tissue: Exploring cellular recruitment, vascularization, and innervation in implanted dECM-based grafts.
  • dECM for Diabetic and Chronic Wound Healing: Engineering pro-regenerative microenvironments that modulate inflammation and kickstart healing in stalled wounds.
  • Immunomodulation by Decellularized Matrices: Understanding how dECM components instruct macrophage polarization and other immune cells to promote a regenerative rather than a fibrotic outcome.
  • From Bench to Bedside: Scaling up production, navigating regulatory pathways (FDA, EMA), and clinical translation of dECM-based wound care products.
  •  Hybrid and Smart dECM Constructs: Combining dECM with synthetic polymers, nanoparticles, or drug delivery systems to create enhanced, multi-functional wound dressings.
  • Natural-source bioinks: polysaccharides, proteins, and natural composites
  • Nanocellulose-enabled bioinks/hydrogels: rheology control, reinforcement, and biofunctionality
  • Chitosan/chitin-derived hydrogels and their printability–bioactivity trade-offs
  • Nature-inspired stabilization and crosslinking
  • Functional natural hydrogels: adhesive, self-healing, stimuli-responsive systems
  • Application snapshots: skin, cartilage, bone, soft tissues, organoids, and disease models using natural inks
Chair:
Khoon Lim (University of Sydney, Australia)

Keynote speakers: Prof. Jelena Rnjak-Kovacina (University of New South Wales, Australia)
Prof. Yu Shrike Zhang (Harvard Medical School, USA)
  • Cryotemplating as bioassembly tools
  • Cryobioprinting for regenerative medicine
  • Cryoprotectant in biofabrication
  • Crystallisation in freezing process
  • Ice templating as printing tool
  • Cryotemplating for sacrificial bioprinting

Track 2. Advanced Bioprinting Technologies and Manufacturing Strategies

• Frontiers in FRESH and Embedded 3D Bioprinting
Chairs:
Prof. Daniel Shiwarski, Ph.D. (School of Medicine and Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, USA)
  • Advances in FRESH and embedded bioprinting
  • Embedded bioprinting of ECM-based tissues
  • Support-bath material innovations
  • Hybrid embedded-volumetric fabrication
  • Biohybrid and neuromuscular constructs
  • High-fidelity collagen and soft tissue printing
  • Vascularized tissue fabrication
  • Translational pathways for embedded printing
  • Development of NAMs using embedded bioprinting”
Chairs:
Prof. Andrew Daly (University of Galway, Ireland)
Jason Burdick (University of Colorado Boulder, USA)

  • Embedded and FRESH bioprinting

  • Scaling organ biomanufacturing using embedded bioprinting

  • Vascular network bioprinting

  • Complex microphysiological systems biomanufacturing

  • Granular support hydrogel

Chairs:
Prof. Nasim Anabi (University of California Los Ángeles, USA)
Prof. Ali Tamayol (University of Connecticut, USA)

Keynote speakers:
Prof. Milica Radisic (University of Toronto, Canada)
Prof. Shulamit Levenberg (Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Israel)
  • 3D/4D bioprinting of vascularized tissue constructs
  • Engineering perfusable and hierarchical vascular networks
  • Bioink design for vascularization and endothelialization
  • In vitro vascularized tissue models
  • Dynamic and adaptive (4D) vascular remodeling
  • Multiscale vascular architectures
  • Functional evaluation of vascularized tissues
  • Translational and scalable biofabrication approaches
Chairs:
Prof. Dr. Andrés Díaz Lantada (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid & IMDEA Materials Institute, Spain)
Prof. Carmelo De Maria (University of Pisa, Italia)
  • Fundamentals of 4D printing in tissue engineering
  • Smart and stimulus-responsive materials
  • Time-dependent shape and property transformations
  • Design and programming of scaffold dynamics
  • Bioinspired and biomimetic scaffold architectures
  • Cell-material interactions in dynamic environments
  • Multi-material fabrication and biofabrication strategies
  • Translational and manufacturing challenges
  • Biofabrication and Bioprinting using more than one material
  • Biofabrication and Bioprinting cocultures: Fabricating constructs containing more than one cell type
  • Development of multimaterial bioprinters
  • Biofabrication of complex tissue constructs 
  • Compartmentalization and bioprinting
  • Chaotic bioprinting
Chairs:
Javier Vazquez Armendariz (The Ohio State University, USA)
  • Advances in hybridization of manufacturing techniques for scaffold production
  • AI/ML driven optimization in biofabrication processes
  • Multi-material, multi-scale scaffold fabrication workflows
  • Integration of hydrogel printing with solid-material fabrication methods
  • Volumetric and light-based printing modalities for hybrid scaffolds
  • 4D Printing for dynamic and stimuli-responsive tissue scaffolds
  • Material innovations for hybrid scaffold manufacturing
  • In vitro and in vivo validation of hybrid scaffolds
  • Cross-disciplinary collaboration to bridge manufacturing engineering and regenerative medicine.
Prof. Daniel Nieto García (Advanced Scientific Research Center - CICA; University of Coruña, Spain)
Keynote speaker: Prof. Daniel Nieto García (Advanced Scientific Research Center - CICA; University of Coruña, Spain)
  • Breakthrough fabrication capabilities: Light-based biomanufacturing, particularly holographic and volumetric bioprinting, enables rapid creation of complex 3D living structures with micrometer-scale precision in a single exposure.
  • Advantages over conventional printing: Structured light approaches overcome the speed and resolution limits of layer-by-layer bioprinting while allowing precise control over geometry, stiffness, and microenvironmental cues.
  • Optical principles and technologies: The workshop examines holographic projection, wavefront shaping, and volumetric photopolymerization as key tools for high-resolution biofabrication.
  • Biological impact: These techniques allow active control of cellular organization, differentiation, and mechanobiological responses by engineering biomimetic tissues with defined mechanical and topographical features.
  • Future directions and applications: By integrating optics, materials science, and cell mechanobiology, the workshop highlights emerging opportunities and challenges in tissue engineering, disease modeling, and regenerative medicine.
Chair: Prof. Elena Juan Pardo (The University of Western Australia)
  • Advances in MEW hardware, control systems, and real‑time process monitoring
  • High‑precision control of fibre diameter, patterning, and 3D architecture
  • Material innovations for MEW
  • Melt electrowritten scaffolds for soft and hard tissue engineering
  • Hybrid biofabrication approaches integrating MEW with hydrogels, bioprinting, or ECM‑mimetic materials
  • Cell-material interactions in MEW microarchitectures and their impact on tissue maturation

Track 3. Tissue-Specific and Organ-Oriented Biofabrication

• Biofabrication of Soft Tissues
Chairs:
Vijayavenkataraman Sanjairaj (New York University, Abu Dhabi)

  • Biofabrication of soft tissues such as skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments, fat, blood vessels, nerves, cartilage, fascia, glands, and lymphatic tissue

  • Advances in fabrication technologies

  • Vascularized soft tissue constructs

  • Hybrid biofabrication methods for soft tissue biomimicry

  • Cell-material interactions

  • Tissue-specific bioinks for various soft tissues

Chair:
Khoon Lim (University of Sydney, Australia)
  • 3D bioprinting for bone
  • 3D bioprinting for ligament
  • biofabrication for tendon
  • biofabrication for cartilage
  • biofabrication of tissue interfaces
  • bioreactors for tissue maturation
  • Biofabrication and characterization of large pieces of skeletal muscle
  • Biofabrication of contractile skeletal muscle
  • Mechanical or dynamical characterization of muscle construct
  • Novel techniques to engineer large pieces of muscle
  • Implantation of muscle tissue in animal models
Chairs:
Prof. Sahar Salehi-Müller (University of Hohenheim, Germany)
Dr. Gerardo Cedillo-Servin (Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands)

Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Miguel Dias Moisés
Dr. Marco Costantini (Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland)
  • Engineered skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle tissues as active, work-producing materials for biohybrid systems, actuators, and soft robotics not just regenerative medicine
  • Challenges in scaling, manufacturing, and performance optimization that limit engineered muscle from moving beyond proof-of-concept
  • The field transition from proof-of-print to proof-of-performance in volumetric muscle models
  • Volumetric engineered muscle as a critical testbed for achieving durable, repeatable, and application-relevant function in vitro
  • Biofabrication strategies enabling volumetric muscle through architectural control and multi-material integration
  • Design principles to enhance force generation and transmission, including anisotropy, fascicle-like bundling, tendon-like anchors, graded stiffness, and reinforcement structures
  • Integration of conductive phases and mechanical interfaces to translate contractility into measurable work
  • Maturation and training protocols tailored to skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle, addressing long-term stability and spatiotemporal heterogeneity
  • Advanced conditioning approaches such as electrical and optogenetic stimulation, perfusion, co-culture systems, and training bioreactors
  • Measurement, benchmarking, and standardization of volumetric muscle performance, including force dynamics, electrophysiology, calcium handling, imaging, strain mapping, and high-content functional phenotyping
  •  Biofabrication technologies
  • Spheroids and organoids
  • In-vitro disease modelling
  • Regenerative medicine
  • In-vitro toxicology and drug testing
  • Assembloids and spheroid fusion
Chair:
Dr. Tess De Maeseneer (Tissue Engineering Services & Solutions (TESS))
Dr. Ronak Afshari (University of California, Los Angeles, USA)
  • Biological and structural organization of native tubular tissues
  • Cell integration strategies for tubular tissue fabrication
  • Flow dynamics and computational methods in tubular biofabricated systems
  • Biofabrication strategies for multilayered tubular tissues
  • Fiber-based approaches for hierarchical tubular architectures
  • Maturation and functional evaluation of engineered tubular tissues
  • Translational challenges and clinical potential of tubular biofabrication

 

Chair: Prof. Elena Juan Prado (The University of Western Australia)
Keynote speaker: Prof. Jelena Rnjak-Kovacina (University of Sydney)
  • Bioprinting technologies for cardiovascular tissues (including extrusion, volumetric, hybrid)
  • Microarchitected scaffolds for cardiovascular applications
  • Vascular network fabrication and perfusable microvasculature
  • Engineered myocardial tissues
  • Biofabricated heart valves 
  • Advanced biomaterials for cardiovascular applications, including hydrogels, haemostatic materials, and fibre‑reinforced composites
  • Bioreactor based maturation, including mechanical, perfusion, and electrical conditioning
  • Micro-physiological disease models for cardiac and vascular research
  • Translation pathways toward clinically viable cardiovascular constructs
Chair: Daniel Nieto García (Advanced Scientific Research Center - CICA; University of Coruña, Spain)
  • Biofabrication strategies for oral soft and hard tissue regeneration
  • Biological and mechanical challenges of the oral environment
  • Advanced biomaterials and bioinks for dental applications
  • In situ and minimally invasive biofabrication approaches
  • Translational barriers in regenerative dentistry
  • Bridging academic research and spin-out development in oral biofabrication

Track 4. Vascularization, Microphysiological Systems & Disease Models

• Bioprinting Vascularized Tissue Constructs
Chairs:
Prof. Shulamit Levenberg (Technion, Israel Institute of Technology)
Prof. Shira Landau (Technion, Israel Institute of Technology)

Keynote speakers:
Ricardo Levato (Utrecht University, The Netherlands)
Tal Dvir (University of Tel Aviv, Israel)

  • Multiscale vessels

  • Bioprinting hierarchical vascular networks with high precision

  • Bioprinting macrovessels

  • Bioprinting micovessels

  • The use of 4d bioprinting for vessel network formation and maturation

  • New bioprinting techniques for fabrication of vessel networks

  • Bioinks for vessel formation

Chairs:
Dr. Sushila Maharian, Ph.D. (Harvard Medical School, USA)
Prof. Yu Shrike Zhang (Harvard Medical School, USA)

Keynote speaker: Prof. Wilbur A. Lam, MD. Ph.D. (Emory University, School of Medicine, USA)
  • Organ-on-chip-based vascular models
  • Vascularized cancer models
  • Thrombosis-on-chip models
  • Diseased vascular models 
  • Biofabricated vascular models
  • Precision medicine
Chairs:
Prof. Gabriella C.J. Lindberg, PhD (University of Oregon, Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, Bioengineering)
Prof. Luiz E. Bertassoni DDS, PhD (Knight Cancer Institute / Oregon Health Campus; Science University)
  • Bioprinting for spatial control of tumor, stromal, immune, and vascular compartments
  • Engineering tumor microenvironment complexity, including spatial, mechanical and biological cues
  • Integration of organoids and assembloids with biofabrication platforms to enhance cancer models
  • Organs-on-a-chip approaches for cancer modeling, including perfusion, immune recruitment, and dynamic signaling
  • Modeling tumor–host interfaces
  • Multi-scale cancer models, bridging single-cell resolution patterning with tissue- and organ-level 
  • Benchmarking engineered cancer models against patient data
  • Applications in drug discovery, therapeutic screening, and precision oncology
  • Standardization, validation, and translational readiness”
Chairs:
Prof. Yu Shrike Zhang (Harvard Medical School, USA)
Dr. Wanlu Li (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China)
  • Technologies for cell-dense biofabrication
  • Scaffold-free strategies for high-density tissue construction
  • Spheroid-based bioprinting and modular tissue assembly
  • Physically assisted assembly of cell-dense tissues
  • Cell-dense biofabrication for organoid, assembloid, and tissue models
  • Engineering native-like cell-cell interactions and tissue microenvironments
  • Modeling development, disease, and regeneration using cell-dense tissues
Chairs:
Prof. Luiz E. Bertassoni DDS, PhD (Knight Cancer Institute / Oregon Health Campus; Science University)
Prof. Gabriella C.J. Lindberg, PhD (University of Oregon, Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, Bioengineering)
  • Biofabricated tissue models for predictive safety and efficacy testing of drugs regulatory-ready applications.
  • Microphysiological systems (MPS), organoids and tissue models, i.e. benchmarking and validating
  • Patient-specific models with demographic analysis
  • Diversity in cell sourcing: iPSC lines, primary cells, and patient-derived samples
  • Scaling of biofabricated models, e.g. 96-well plate platforms
  • Biofabrication workflows for reproducible and automated drug screening
  • Reduction of animal products in biofabrication workflows
  • Use of biofabricated tissue models for discovery of new therapeutic targets
  • Standardization and QC: from bioinks and materials to biological readouts
  • Integration of omics analyses

Track 5. Digital Fabrication & Artificial Inteligence

• Machine Learning and Digital Twins for Predictive Biofabrication
  • AI-enabled Process Intelligence: Development and application of ML models for analyzing/optimizing the materials and process of biofabrication.
  • Digital Twins for Predictive Biofabrication: The roles of digital twins in real-time monitoring and predictive analytics for biofabrication processes and biofabricated products.
  • Clinical Translation: Novel applications of ML and Digital Twins in biofabrication for tissue engineering, healthcare systems, regenerative medicine, and surgical planning.
  • Materials Optimization for Biofabrication: Using AI to optimize materials formulation for a target performance and functionality
  • Future Challenges: Challenges and future directions in integrating ML and digital twins into materials design and biofabrication workflows.
Chairs:
Andrew Daly (University of Galway, Ireland)
Prof. Rui M. A. Domingues (International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Portugal)
  • Bioink design and optimisation: Use of AI/ML  techniques to optimise and/or design new bioink formulations
  • Advancing software: Use of AI/ML to advance, streamline and develop biofabrication software.
  • Process optimisation: Using AI/ML to accelerate bioprinting parameter optimisation.
  • Robotics and automation: Integration of AI and robotics to improve automation in biofabrication processes.
  • Advancing quality control in biofabrication: Computer vision for real-time monitoring and quality control during Biofabrication.
  • Computational design and modelling: AI-assisted computational design of bioprinted constructs.
  • Image Analysis and Tissue Engineering: Use of AI-powered imaging or assessment techniques to monitor tissue quality and functionality post-bioprinting.
  • From 3D to 4D Biofabrication: Leveraging AI to simulate and design constructs that evolve in shape, mechanics, and biological function over time

Track 6. Community Building

• ISBF Early Career Researchers Symposium
Chairs:
Philipp Fisch (ETH Zürich, Department fo Health Sciences, Switzerland)
Hossein Ravanbakhsh (The University of Akron, USA)
  • Career development for early career researchers
  • Transition to independence as an early career PI
  • Starting and managing a research lab
  • Academic and industry career pathways
  • Publishing strategies and peer review processes
  • Grant writing and funding opportunities
  • Translating research to industry and startups
  • Challenges for start-ups in the Biofab arena
  • The balance between science and marketing
  • From the lab to the market: An exciting journal
  • Stories of success and crisis
  • Lessons learned in the process of searching for funding
  • Efforts to democratize access to biofabrication platforms 
  • Biofabrication in low-resource settings
  • Do-it-yourself biofabrication equipment
  • Education and outreach programs to widespread Biofabrication
  • Teaching Biofabrication: Examples, experiences in the classroom and lab
Chair: Prof. Koichi Nakayama, M.D., Ph.D. (Saga University School of Medicine, Japan)
  • Biofabrication-related Technology developed by/in Industry  
  • Scaling biofabrication technology of biofabrication products
  • New commercial  products, services, and technology for the biofabrication community
  • Industrial/commercial applications of biofabrication technologies
  • Bioprinting and biofabrication at scale
  • Teaching Biofabrication: Examples, experiences in the classroom and lab

Track 7. Biofabrication for Emerging Applications

• Biofabrication of Food
Chair:
Prof. Shulamit Levenberg (Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Israel)

Keynote speaker:
Prof. Yu Shrike Zhang (Harvard Medical School, USA)
  • Bioprinting Cultivated meat and fish
  • Cellular agriculture
  • Edible bioinks
  • Bioprinting alternative proteins
  • Bioprinting fat and fat alternatives
  • Biofabrication techniques in food production
  • Spatial organization of stem cells and biomaterials for building 3D hierarchical tissues
  • Bioprinting and biofabrication strategies for multi-scale tissue architecture
  • Regulation of stem cell states (proliferation, differentiation, migration) in 3D systems
  • Hydrogel design and cell–material interactions enabling tissue hierarchy
  • Challenges and opportunities in engineering functional stem cell–derived tissues
  • Biofabrication inside the human body
  • Minimally invasive approach for bioprinting
  • Miniaturized bioprinting tools and delivery systems
  • Bioink requirements for in situ and in vivo printing
  • Trajectory planning and printing on dynamic tissues
  • Real-time imaging and process feedback
  • In situ process monitoring and quality control
  • Translational and regulatory challenges
Chairs:
José Rubén Morones Ramírez (Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, México)
  • Synthetic living hybrid materials (SLMs and ELMs)
  • Genetic and metabolic programming of biofabricated constructs
  • Integration of engineered microbes within synthetic scaffolds
  • Cell-free synthetic biology embedded in fabricated materials
  • Spatial control of function across molecular, cellular, and macroscale levels
  • Biofabrication strategies for adaptive and responsive materials
  • Translational applications in health, environment, and biomanufacturing
  • Scale-up, robustness, and manufacturability of living biofabricated systems
  • Interfaces between biomaterials science and synthetic biology
  • Synthetic living hybrid materials (SLMs and ELMs)
  • Genetic and metabolic programming of biofabricated constructs
  • Integration of engineered microbes within synthetic scaffolds
  • Cell-free synthetic biology embedded in fabricated materials
  • Spatial control of function across molecular, cellular, and macroscale levels
  • Biofabrication strategies for adaptive and responsive materials
  • Translational applications in health, environment, and biomanufacturing
  • Scale-up, robustness, and manufacturability of living biofabricated systems
  • Interfaces between biomaterials science and synthetic biology
Chair:
Prof. Riccardo Levato (University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands)
Prof. David Fernandez Rivas (University of Twente, Netherlands)
  • Biofabrication technologies to engraft bioactive elements (growth factors, drugs, small molecules, gene editing vectors, nano and microparticles)
  • Laser-powered triggered delivery of payloads
  • Gene editing strategies in biofabrication and bioprinting
  • Multi-modal constructs with patterned bioactive molecules and growth factors
  • Biofunctionalization
  • Controlled and programmable degradation and release of bioactive compounds
  • Spatiotemporal control and release to pattern cell responses and differentiation
  • Bioprinting of immunomodulatory, complex structures
  • Bioprinted materials for spatially controlled immunotherapy
  • Bioprinting of microneedle patches and therapeutic patches