About

BUGSS is a citizen science lab in Baltimore, MD, USA. They work with multiple forms of bioprinting with a focus on non-medical R&D toward new materials and forms. BUGSS has three different types of 3D printers – FDM, Syringe, and DLP. With these tools they are exploring direct printing of plant cells, printing scaffolding for bacterial growths, and other processes.

Research Projects

This project focuses on the development of a bioprinting platform utilizing a custom-built DLP (digital light projection) 3D printer. The primary accomplishment of the work to date are:
• development and modification to the printer itself
• engineering and testing of bio-compatible photopolymers
• development of DLP tools in Xylinus, a 3D printer control platform in Rhino/Grasshopper
• designing, printing,and analyzing of 3D scaffolds

Nascent work has been done regarding:
• testing cytotoxicity and bacterial biofilm formation with the resultant 3D prints
• designing a bioreactor and planning post-print cell growth processes

The rough lab notes for this work are open and available at this stream.

This project focuses on the development of a syringe-based 3D printer capable of direct printing of plant cells suspending a an agar-based media.The primary accomplishment of the work to date are:
• development of the printer with a pneumatically controlled syringe housed in a hot water jacket, with additional thermal and aseptic controls
• formulations of materials to provide proper phase transition and cell support
• development of syringe tools in Xylinus, a 3D printer control platform in Rhino/Grasshopper
• designing and printing simple structures capable of holding 3D shape

Nascent work has been done regarding:
• testing cell culturing protocols and proving survival of printing process
• designing processes for sterile growth and development of plant cells

This project utilizes a custom FDM (fused deposition modeling) printer to create scaffolds utilizing the biocompitible plastic polycaprolactone (PCL). The primary accomplishment of the work to date are:
• modification to the printer to work with highly flexible filament
• creating PCL filament and experimenting with particulate additions to the plastic
• development of filament tools in Xylinus, a 3D printer control platform in Rhino/Grasshopper
• designing and printing scaffolds utilizing linear geometries