RA Spotlight: Innovations in Bioengineering

3D bioprinting is opening new frontiers in tissue engineering, but fine-tuning the process to balance print accuracy with cell survival remains challenging. Hatai presents a predictive model that integrates fluid dynamics, viscosity, and shear stress to optimize bioprinting conditions. With cell viability maintained above 80%, this framework offers a powerful step toward more reproducible, high-quality biofabrication.

The retina is a complex tissue linked to both vision and brain function, making high-resolution imaging vital for studying eye disease, vascular health, and neurological conditions. However, optical aberrations from other eye tissues limit the achievable resolution. Adaptive optics corrects these distortions, enabling cone-level resolution. Penny presents instrumentation developed in the AVRIL lab, showing how it achieves precise retinal imaging and eye motion measurement, opening new paths for diagnosis and treatment.

Polypropylene mesh has long been used in hernia repair and urogynaecology, with early success rates over 90%. However, serious complications including chronic pain, mesh degradation, and protrusion into nearby organs led to the UK suspension of its use after reports showed 1 in 15 women required mesh removal. Beyond local effects, growing evidence points to systemic complications such as autoimmune disorders. Shannon investigates whether these outcomes are linked to systemic immune responses triggered by the polypropylene mesh.