NUS researchers 3D bioprint oral soft tissue grafts using AI

According to the National University of Singapore (NUS), researchers have developed a method to fabricate personalised gingival (gum) tissue grafts by combining 3D bioprinting with artificial intelligence (AI). Led by Assistant Professor Gopu Sriram from the NUS Faculty of Dentistry, the team’s approach offers a customizable, less invasive alternative to traditional grafting, which typically involves harvesting tissue from the patient’s mouth – a method associated with discomfort and limited tissue availability.

The technique addresses key challenges in dental procedures, such as gum defects caused by periodontal disease or dental implants. It enables precise fabrication of tissue constructs tailored to individuals, improving treatment outcomes and reducing risks like infections. Their findings, published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, were supported by the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) and National University Health System (NUHS).

“To speed up the 3D bioprinting process, we integrated AI into our workflow to address this critical bottleneck,” said Professor Dean Ho, significantly reducing the number of experiments needed to optimize bioprinting parameters from thousands to just 25. The team developed a specialized bio-ink that supports cell growth while maintaining the printed structure’s integrity.

“Our study is among the first to specifically integrate 3D bioprinting and AI technologies for the biofabrication of customised oral soft tissue constructs,” said Assistant Prof Sriram. The resulting gum grafts maintained over 90% cell viability after printing and through an 18-day culture period, showing strong biomimetic properties and multi-layered structures resembling natural gum tissue. By creating grafts precisely matching patient wounds, the need to harvest tissue is reduced, minimising distortion and tension during wound closure.

The research’s impact could extend beyond dentistry to other tissues like skin, promoting scarless healing. Future work will focus on in vivo studies to evaluate graft integration in oral environments and explore incorporating blood vessels into constructs using multi-material bioprinting. The team hopes their developments will advance regenerative dentistry and broader tissue engineering applications.