INS8-1663
Taurine-Functionalized Photocrosslinkable Bioinks for 3D Bioprinting of Skeletal Muscle Tissue
Topic
S8. Frontiers of Functional Polymers in Biology and Medicine
When and Where
Oct 1, 2026
11:30 - 11:45
Room 108
Session Chairs
Jieung BAEK
Yoonho HWANG
Presenter(s)
Keekyoung Kim (University of Calgary)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Skeletal muscle diseases, including myopathies and muscular dystrophies, present significant clinical challenges with limited effective treatments. Robust in vitro muscle models are therefore needed to better understand disease mechanisms and accelerate therapeutic development. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting offers precise fabrication of tissue-like constructs, yet developing bioinks that combine printability, mechanical tunability, and biological functionality remains challenging.
Here, we developed a novel bioactive hydrogel by methacrylating taurine, a naturally occurring amino sulfonic acid important in skeletal muscle physiology, to synthesize taurine methacrylate (TMA), enabling its covalent integration into gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) networks. GelMA-TMA was systematically compared with GelMA containing physically blended taurine to evaluate mechanical properties, swelling behavior, photocrosslinking kinetics, microstructure, molecular retention, and printability.
Covalent TMA incorporation provided improved photocrosslinking control, minimized overcuring during digital light processing (DLP) printing, and enhanced feature resolution and shape fidelity. GelMA-TMA hydrogels exhibited finer and more homogeneous pore structures, while release studies demonstrated prolonged TMA retention compared with rapidly leaching taurine. Photopatterning and 3D printing of complex geometries further demonstrated excellent printability. Importantly, C2C12 myoblasts encapsulated within GelMA-TMA scaffolds exhibited accelerated myogenic differentiation, increased myosin heavy chain expression, and more extensive myotube formation compared with controls.
Together, these findings establish GelMA-TMA as a bioprintable, mechanically tunable, and biologically active platform for engineering skeletal muscle tissue, with potential applications in disease modeling, drug screening, and regenerative medicine.
Here, we developed a novel bioactive hydrogel by methacrylating taurine, a naturally occurring amino sulfonic acid important in skeletal muscle physiology, to synthesize taurine methacrylate (TMA), enabling its covalent integration into gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) networks. GelMA-TMA was systematically compared with GelMA containing physically blended taurine to evaluate mechanical properties, swelling behavior, photocrosslinking kinetics, microstructure, molecular retention, and printability.
Covalent TMA incorporation provided improved photocrosslinking control, minimized overcuring during digital light processing (DLP) printing, and enhanced feature resolution and shape fidelity. GelMA-TMA hydrogels exhibited finer and more homogeneous pore structures, while release studies demonstrated prolonged TMA retention compared with rapidly leaching taurine. Photopatterning and 3D printing of complex geometries further demonstrated excellent printability. Importantly, C2C12 myoblasts encapsulated within GelMA-TMA scaffolds exhibited accelerated myogenic differentiation, increased myosin heavy chain expression, and more extensive myotube formation compared with controls.
Together, these findings establish GelMA-TMA as a bioprintable, mechanically tunable, and biologically active platform for engineering skeletal muscle tissue, with potential applications in disease modeling, drug screening, and regenerative medicine.
