Bioprinting the future at NCCU

Research involving bioprinting is ramping up at North Carolina Central University (NCCU).

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is a technique used to print living cells in a pre-designed pattern. Those living cells or tissue could be used for skin regeneration or the manufacture of human organs.

The technology is still in its infancy. The first attempts to achieve such cell growth took place in 1998, according to the National Library of Medicine at National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Researchers put the cells they want to grow and a biomaterial such as gelatin or collagen into the 3D bioprinter. Researchers then adjust pressure, temperature, layer height and other factors to achieve optimal growth.

Over at the Julius L. Chambers Biomedical and Biotechnology Research Institute (JLC-BBRI), students in the laboratory of Nicole Salazar Velmeshev, Ph.D., are using the university's bioprinter to create 3D models of breast cancer cells. Her aim is to understand how different biomarkers contribute to the uncontrolled growth of cancer, and then try out treatments and see how they affect those markers.

"We have traditionally worked with cell lines in two dimensions (flat)," Velmeshev said. "3D structures are a more physiologically relevant model. The outer cells will be more exposed. The cells on the inside would not be as vulnerable to a drug. (3D) responds in a way more in accordance with how the human body would react."

Another advantage to 3D bioprinting is it does not require the use of animals for testing.

"New regulations are coming from a lot of government funding agencies," said Eric Saliim, program manager of the NCCU Fab Lab and an adjunct instructor in the department of biological and biomedical sciences. "They want to do away with animal testing. 3D bioprinters put us more in line."

Ufana Riaz, Ph.D., of the department of chemistry and biochemistry and her graduate students at the BBRI are developing tissue patches for wound healing.

"By designing materials that resemble the body's own tissues, we can improve compatibility," Riaz said. "This approach helps reduce the likelihood that the body will reject the implanted patches."

Workforce Development

For the last few years, the university has owned one bioprinter. That is about to change, thanks to a 2025 grant of $1,273,500 from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at the NIH. The grant will allow the university to buy three new bioprinters over three years. The first is scheduled to arrive at NCCU in March 2026.

"It's an emerging technology, it is growing and still new," said Saliim. "We are looking to put our students on the cutting edge to get them involved with that technology while it grows."

"These are skills people really want to see now," Velmeshev said. "We can get students prepared here and go onto top bioengineering programs to make contributions in science and technology."

Part of the grant will be used to bring in experts in bioengineering, supply stipends to students and perhaps hire faculty in the last years of the grant.

"(3D bioprinters) will open up possibilities in advance biomedical implants, pharmaceutical and drug delivery and wound healing research," said Riaz. "It will increase workforce development. It is already promoting interdisciplinary research.

Saliim would like to start a credentialing program for students with a manufacturer of 3D bioprinters. He also conceives of developing a bioprinting center at NCCU.