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Three-dimensional cancer cell cultures have been a valuable research model for developing new drug targets in the preclinical stage. However, there are still limitations to these in vitro models. Scaffold-based systems offer a promising approach to overcoming these challenges in cancer research. In this study, we show that two-photon polymerization (TPP)-assisted printing of scaffolds enhances 3D tumor cell culture formation without additional modifications. TPP is a perfect fit for this task, as it is an advanced 3D-printing technique combining a μm-level resolution with complete freedom in the design of the final structure. Additionally, it can use a wide array of materials, including biocompatible ones. We exploit these capabilities to fabricate scaffolds from two different biocompatible materials—PEGDA and OrmoClear. Cubic spheroid scaffolds with a more complex architecture were produced and tested. The biological evaluation showed that the human ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV3 and A2780 formed 3D cultures on printed scaffolds without a preference for the material. The gene expression evaluation showed that the A2780 cell line exhibited substantial changes in CDH1, CDH2, TWIST, COL1A1, and SMAD3 gene expression, while the SKOV3 cell line had slight changes in said gene expression. Our findings show how the scaffold architecture design impacts tumor cell culture 3D spheroid formation, especially for the A2780 cancer cell line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ever-growing trend of device multifunctionality and miniaturization puts enormous burden on existing manufacturing technologies. The requirements for precision, throughput, and cost become increasingly harder to achieve with minimal room for compromises. Femtosecond lasers, which saw immense development throughout the last few decades, have been proven time and time again to be a superb tool capable of standing up to the challenges posed by modern science and the industry for ultrahigh-precision material processing. Thus, this paper is dedicated to provide an outlook on how femtosecond pulses are revolutionizing modern manufacturing. We will show how they are exploited for various kinds of material processing, including subtractive (ablation, cutting, and etching), additive (lithography and laser-induced forward transfer), or hybrid subtractive-additive cases. The advantages of using femtosecond lasers in such applications, with main focus on how they enable the most precise kinds of material processing, will be highlighted. Future prospects concerning emerging industrial applications and the future of the technology itself will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a laser fabrication approach for single monolith structure by varying beam focusing lenses (NA1 = 1.4 and NA2 = 0.45). With this, we show great improvement of the manufacturing throughput while keeping the desired spatial resolution and feature definition. To quantitatively evaluate its efficiency, we theoretically calculate and experimentally measure the polymerized volume using different focusing conditions and show that the augmentation can reach more than sevenfold. Based on this, sample structures of hybrid organic-inorganic SZ2080 and hydrogel polyethylene (glycol) diacrylate photopolymers were successfully manufactured. These three-dimensional structures included prototype scaffolds for cell growth and microfluidic components. Their quality was assessed and possible difficulties as well as limitations that arose were discussed. The new structures were compared to alternative direct laser writing throughput increasing techniques. Finally, we discussed potential applications in manufacturing various elements for regenerative medicine and microfluidics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]