https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/8625 2026-10-04T13:57:46Z 2026-10-04T13:57:46Z Chen, Shangsi Lai, Jiahui Zeng, Qiongjiao Zhou, Liangbin Yang, Boguang Zhang, Bin Wang, Min Zhou, Jiajing Lau, Kieran Lim, Khoon S Li, Zhong Alan Tuan, Rocky S https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33920 2026-10-01T02:01:08Z 2026-09-27T00:00:00Z

Title: Smart Bioinks for 4D Bioprinting: Requirements, Design, and Applications Authors: Chen, Shangsi; Lai, Jiahui; Zeng, Qiongjiao; Zhou, Liangbin; Yang, Boguang; Zhang, Bin; Wang, Min; Zhou, Jiajing; Lau, Kieran; Lim, Khoon S; Li, Zhong Alan; Tuan, Rocky S Abstract: 3D bioprinting is known for its high precision and reproducibility in fabricating complex and customized biomedical constructs. However, its applications are limited by their static nature; i.e., unlike native tissues, they cannot change shape or functionality over time. To overcome this, 4D bioprinting has emerged as a groundbreaking strategy by incorporating time as the fourth dimension, enabling dynamic structures that adapt in response to stimuli, thereby more accurately replicating living tissues. The success of 4D bioprinting hinges on the development of advanced smart bioinks, as their physicochemical properties uniquely dictate the shape-morphing behavior, functionality, and performance of bioprinted constructs. These bioinks must be precisely engineered to respond to specific stimuli. This review first introduces 4D bioprinting technologies for tissue engineering scaffolds. We then outline essential requirements for smart bioinks and highlight how AI, particularly machine learning, is revolutionizing their design. Additionally, we examine widely used biomaterials for 4D bioprinting and discuss promising candidates for 4D printing. We also present cutting-edge bioink applications in tissue engineering, drug screening, and disease modeling, showcasing their potential in regenerative medicine and personalized therapeutics. Finally, we discuss current challenges and future perspectives, underscoring the transformative impact of smart bioinks and 4D bioprinting on biomedical innovation. Description: Data Availability Statement: Data will be available upon reasonable request.; Supporting Information is avaoilable online at: https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.77791#support-information-section .

2026-09-27T00:00:00Z Panraksa, Pattaraporn Sengtakdaed, Krit Pornngam, Ploynapat Jantanasakulwong, Kittisak Zhang, Bin Brachais, Claire-Hélène Chambin, Odile Jantrawut, Pensak https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33891 2026-09-22T02:02:56Z 2026-09-13T00:00:00Z

Title: FDM-based 4D printing of sustainable PVA-Cassava fibre composites: a programmable platform for smart gastroretentive drug delivery Authors: Panraksa, Pattaraporn; Sengtakdaed, Krit; Pornngam, Ploynapat; Jantanasakulwong, Kittisak; Zhang, Bin; Brachais, Claire-Hélène; Chambin, Odile; Jantrawut, Pensak Abstract: With the advancing paradigm of smart and sustainable healthcare, four-dimensional (4D) printing and sustainable polymer composites have attracted increasing interest in the development of advanced drug delivery systems. Incorporating agricultural waste-derived fibres into polymer composites provides a sustainable strategy for producing functional printing materials. In this study, we fabricated 4D-printed gastroretentive platforms by fused deposition modelling (FDM) using poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-Cassava fibre composite filaments. The effects of increasing either Eudragit® NE 30 D or Cassava fibre content (up to 15% w/w) on filament flexibility, shape programmability, and drug release were systematically investigated. All developed formulations yielded continuous filaments with smooth extrusion, high structural fidelity, and precise drug loading. While the reference formulation (5% w/w fibre, 5% w/w Eudragit®; F5E5) fractured during compression, increasing either component to 15% w/w improved flexibility, prevented structural failure, and enabled compression into capsules for convenient oral administration. Following capsule disintegration, the programmed structures recovered their original geometry. Notably, F15E5 (15% w/w fibre, 5% w/w Eudragit®) achieved a rapid shape recovery of 93.3 ± 3.6% within 30 min via water-triggered polymer relaxation. Both formulations exhibited a pronounced initial release followed by a slower release phase extending to 24 h. Korsmeyer-Peppas analysis indicated anomalous (non-Fickian) transport, consistent with combined diffusion and matrix relaxation/erosion. Overall, this study establishes a 4D printing platform for sequential gastroretentive drug delivery, combining capsule-mediated buoyancy with mechanical expansion, thereby paving the way for the development of next-generation adaptive oral dosage forms with programmable shape transformation and tuneable drug release behaviour. Description: Data availability: Data will be made available on request.; Supplementary data are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590156726001854?via%3Dihub#s0185 .

2026-09-13T00:00:00Z Morgan, Meagan Zhang, Bin Narayan, Roger https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33890 2026-09-22T02:03:02Z 2026-07-23T00:00:00Z

Title: Light‐Assisted 3D Printing Techniques and Photocrosslinking Strategies: Recent Advances in Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering Authors: Morgan, Meagan; Zhang, Bin; Narayan, Roger Abstract: Musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders represent a significant global health challenge that affects over 1.7 billion people, leading to physical disability as well as reduced mental health and socioeconomic well‐being. Despite their high prevalence, MSK diseases remain severely underfunded compared to other global health priorities. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) can utilize light‐based 3D bioprinting and photocrosslinking methods for the treatment and study of MSK conditions. Light‐based bioprinting techniques, such as digital light processing and stereolithography, enable the creation of high‐resolution scaffolds that mimic the complex, highly organized structure of MSK tissues, while photocrosslinking methods can be applied more broadly across nonlight‐based techniques to improve ink or scaffold stability. These technologies hold the potential for advancing MSK therapies; however, the need for specialized photocurable materials, cytotoxicity concerns, and mechanical limitations of printed constructs remains. This systematic review addresses current gaps and trends in light‐assisted 3D printing for MSK applications, examines the most frequently used biomaterials and cell types over the past 5 years, and highlights future research directions to advance TERM for MSK repair and regeneration. Description: Data Availability Statement: Data availability is not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed for this review article.; Supporting Information is available online at: https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adem.202502238#support-information-section .

2026-07-23T00:00:00Z Zhang, Shaojie Wang, Yinghui Liu, Peixuan Li, Wei Yang, Jinlong Yan, Tao Huang, Liangyi Wang, Mingfeng Atadjanov, Ibragim R https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33882 2026-09-19T02:07:26Z 2024-02-25T00:00:00Z

Title: A Highlight Removal Method for Capsule Endoscopy Images. Authors: Zhang, Shaojie; Wang, Yinghui; Liu, Peixuan; Li, Wei; Yang, Jinlong; Yan, Tao; Huang, Liangyi; Wang, Mingfeng; Atadjanov, Ibragim R Abstract: The images captured by Wireless Capsule Endoscopy (WCE) always exhibit specular reflections, and removing highlights while preserving the color and texture in the region remains a challenge. To address this issue, this paper proposes a highlight removal method for capsule endoscopy images. Firstly, the confidence and feature terms of the highlight region's edges are computed, where confidence is obtained by the ratio of known pixels in the RGB space's R channel to the B channel within a window centered on the highlight region's edge pixel, and feature terms are acquired by multiplying the gradient vector of the highlight region's edge pixel with the iso-intensity line. Subsequently, the confidence and feature terms are assigned different weights and summed to obtain the priority of all highlight region's edge pixels, and the pixel with the highest priority is identified. Then, the variance of the highlight region's edge pixels is used to adjust the size of the sample block window, and the best-matching block is searched in the known region based on the RGB color similarity and distance between the sample block and the window centered on the pixel with the highest priority. Finally, the pixels in the best-matching block are copied to the highest priority highlight removal region to achieve the goal of removing the highlight region. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method effectively removes highlights from WCE images, with a lower coefficient of variation in the highlight removal region compared to the Crinimisi algorithm and DeepGin method. Additionally, the color and texture in the highlight removal region are similar to those in the surrounding areas, and the texture is continuous. Description: Preprint submitted to arxiv. Cite as: arXiv:2402.07083v2 [cs.CV]

2024-02-25T00:00:00Z