Biofab Core Facility - our offer

The Biofabrication and Tissue Engineering Core Facility (Biofab) offers a diverse range of Micro and Nanostructuring techniques for cell-based applications in the fields of life-science and medicine. We aim to bridge the gap between engineering and biology at Karolinska Institutet and provide common grounds with respect to suitable material of use of modular design and tunable structures for biomedical purposes.

Applications

  • Microfluidics
  • Lab-on-a-chip
  • Biosensors
  • Tissue and organ-on-a-chip
  • Tissue engineering

Equipment and platforms

In-house equipment

  • Spin-coater
  • Collimated UV light
  • Contact angle goniometer
  • Polymer Speed mixer
  • Oven

In-house Micro and Nanofabrication platforms

  • Photolithography
  • Nano reaction injection molding (NanoRIM)
  • Soft lithography

In-house 3D Bioprinter

The RegenHu R-GEN 200 bioprinter: printing technologies, including extrusion, inkjet, and laser-assisted printing, allowing for a wide range of applications, from vascular grafts to complex organ structures.

Image of the bioprinter and description of its functions.
Bioprinter R-GEN 200 at a glance. Various features such as multiple technology combinations, calibration and monitoring system, exchangeable workzones, integrated class II biosafety cabinet, interface.
The dispensing technologies provide the possibility of multi-material bioprinting using different materials and cells.
Four dispensing technologies: Pneumatic Strand Dispenser, Pneumatic Drop Dispenser, Pneumatic Melt Dispenser and Volumetric Strand Dispenser. Provides the possibility of multi-material bioprinting using different materials and cells.

Off-campus Micro and Nanofabrication platforms

  • Photolithography (mask aligner)
  • Electron beam lithography
  • Nanoimprint lithography
  • CNC micro Milling

Device characterisation methods

  • Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
  • Atomic force microscopy (AFM) (only for characterization of surface topographies)
  • Profilometer

List of materials

  • Micro and nanofabrication: Glass, silicon, and polymers including different types of thermoplastics, e.g. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), Polycarbonate (PC), Polystyrene (PS) and Teflon, thermosets, e.g. off-stoichiometry thiol-ene (OSTE), SU8 and elastomers, e.g. PDMS.
  • Bioprinting: The RegenHu R-GEN 200 bioprinter is compatible with a wide range of bioinks and materials, ranging from natural hydrogels such as alginate, gelatin, and collagen, to synthetic polymers like polycaprolactone (PCL) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). The bioprinter also supports sterile use of cell-laden bioinks, enabling the creation of complex, living tissue constructs.

Services

  • Consultation about the proper choice of material and design with respect to the biological application
  • 3D CAD design
  • Nanofabrication via cleanroom processing
  • Surface energy patterning (tuning hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity)

Tools

Available tools in the Biofab cleanroom.
Image gallery
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Available tools in the cleanroom.

Comparative overview of common materials used for cell culture devices