The lab's foundational contribution — and what brought it global recognition — is the development of decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM)-based bioinks. By stripping tissues (adipose, cartilage, heart, cornea, liver, skin, muscle) of their cellular content while preserving the biochemical milieu of the native matrix, the lab creates tissue-specific inks that provide cells with an optimized microenvironment far superior to synthetic hydrogels.

Building on this, the lab continually innovates in bioprinting processes. The REFRESH platform uses a PEG-gelatin suspension bath for embedded bioprinting of fragile dECM hydrogels with high structural fidelity. Visible-light crosslinkable silk fibroin bioinks, dual-crosslinking strategies, and multi-material extrusion approaches further expand the bioprinting toolkit toward functional, load-bearing tissue constructs.

KEY PUBLICATIONS & BREAKTHROUGHS

• Printing three-dimensional tissue analogues with decellularized extracellular matrix bioink

• Pati F, Jang J, Ha D-H, et al. · Nat Commun 5:3935 (2014)

• REFRESH — Reversible Embedded Bioprinting for Faster Reinforcement and Structuring of dECM Hydrogels

• Meenu TS, Bera AK, Ghosh S, et al. · Adv Healthc Mater e04931 (2026)

• Formulation of Dermal Tissue Matrix Bioink by a Facile Decellularization Method

• Bera AK, Sriya Y, Pati F · Macromol Biosci 22(8), 2200109 (2022)

• A High Throughput Bioprinting Using Decellularized Adipose Tissue-Based Hydrogels for 3D Breast Cancer Modeling

• Shukla P, Bera AK, Yeleswarapu S, Pati F · Macromol Biosci 2400035 (2024)

Corneal blindness affects millions globally, yet donor tissue supply is critically short. The BioFabTE Lab has built a comprehensive programme to address this — from decellularizing human donor corneas to formulate hydrogel bioinks, to 3D-bioprinting anatomically accurate stromal equivalents, to developing injectable hydrogels that prevent post-traumatic scarring and keratoconus progression.

Recent advances include 4D bioprinted self-morphing corneal equivalents using smart hybrid hydrogels, transparent and adhesive corneal patches combining photo-crosslinkable dopamine-conjugated silk fibroin with dECM, and GMP-grade constructs validated in pre-clinical studies for partial keratoplasty — directly supported by large ICMR funding (₹536.5 L).

KEY PUBLICATIONS & BREAKTHROUGHS

• Human cornea-derived extracellular matrix hydrogel for prevention of post-traumatic corneal scarring: A translational approach

Chameettachal S, Venuganti A, Parekh Y, et al. · Acta Biomater 171, 289–307 (2023)

• Bioprinting of transparent and adhesive corneal patches: Integrating photo-crosslinkable dopamine-conjugated silk fibroin and decellularized cornea matrix

Ghosh A, Bera AK, Adhikari J, et al. · IJBM 306, 141761 (2025)

• 4D Bioprinting of Self-Morphed Corneal Equivalents Using Smart Hybrid Hydrogels

Ghosh A, Adhikari J, Ghosh S, et al. · Adv Healthc Mater e02721 (2026)

• Thickening of Ectatic Cornea through Regeneration Using Decellularized Corneal Matrix Injectable Hydrogel

Chameettachal S, Puranik CJ, et al. · ACS Appl Bio Mater 4(9), 7300–7313 (2021)

KEY PUBLICATIONS & BREAKTHROUGHS

• Engineering a Biomimetic Glomerular Filtration Barrier: Coculturing Endothelial Podocytes on Kidney ECM–Bacterial Cellulose Membrane Hybrid

Kiranmai G, Alam A, Chameettachal S, et al. · ACS AMI 16(39), 52008–52022 (2024)

• A biomimetic in vitro glomerular filtration barrier model for investigating renal barrier dysfunction in hyperglycemia

Kiranmai G, Kaki S, Chameettachal S, et al. · Biomater Adv 185, 214885 (2026)

• Galactose Tethered Decellularized Liver Matrix: Toward a Biomimetic and Biofunctional Matrix for Liver Tissue Engineering

Sasikumar S, Boden A, Chameettachal S, et al. · ACS Appl Bio Mater 5(6), 3023–3037 (2022)

• Influence of Liver Extracellular Matrix in Predicting Drug-Induced Liver Injury: An Alternate Paradigm

Sasikumar S, Chameettachal S, Kingshott P, Cromer B, Pati F · ACS BSE 8(2), 834–846 (2022)

• Strategic Replication of the Hepatic Zonation In Vitro Employing a Biomimetic Approach

Sasikumar S, Chameettachal S, et al. · ACS Appl Bio Mater 6(12), 5224–5234 (2024)

Conventional 2D cancer cell cultures fail to replicate the heterogeneous, stromal-rich tumour microenvironment (TME), leading to poor predictability of drug responses in vivo. The lab develops 3D bioprinted tumour models using tissue-derived dECM hydrogels — notably decellularized adipose tissue for breast cancer — that recapitulate structural complexity, paracrine signalling, and drug resistance phenotypes.

These high-throughput platforms enable rapid screening of drug candidates against patient-like 3D tumour architectures. Work is also ongoing on liver cancer organoids, immuno-competent breast cancer models incorporating immune cells, and bioreactor-enabled cancer-stroma co-culture systems, supported by a current SERB project (₹49.5 L).

KEY PUBLICATIONS & BREAKTHROUGHS

• Mimicking Tumor Microenvironment by 3D Bioprinting: 3D Cancer Modeling

Shukla P, Yeleswarapu S, Heinrich M, Prakash J, Pati F · Biofabrication 14(3), 032002 (2022)

• Assessment and process optimization of high throughput biofabrication of immunocompetent breast cancer model for drug screening applications

Shukla P, Bera AK, Ghosh A, et al. · Biofabrication 16, 035030 (2024)

• Complexity in in-vitro tumor microenvironment reconstruction for drug screening and personalized medicine

Ghosh A, Ghosh S, Pati F, Duraiswamy S · Bioprinting e00316 (2023)

For hard and load-bearing tissue applications, the lab engineers composite scaffolds and printable filaments — combining polycaprolactone (PCL), silk fibroin microfibers, bioactive glass, PETG, and magnesium-doped hydroxyapatite — that balance mechanical performance with biological activity. These constructs have been validated in critical-size rabbit calvaria defect models and oral/maxillofacial surgery contexts.

The work on short silk fibre-reinforced PETG composites, PCL-bioactive glass filaments, and 3D-printed personalised craniomaxillofacial implants bridges additive manufacturing with clinical orthopaedics and dental rehabilitation. Gingival stem-cell-integrated PCL-silk scaffolds show particular promise for personalised bone therapy.

KEY PUBLICATIONS & BREAKTHROUGHS

• Ornamenting 3D printed scaffolds with cell-laid extracellular matrix for bone tissue regeneration

Pati F, Song T-H, Jang J, et al. · Biomaterials 37, 230–241 (2015)

• Augmented Repair and Regeneration of Critical Size Rabbit Calvaria Defects with 3D Printed Silk Fibroin Microfibers Reinforced PCL Composite Scaffolds

Bojedla SSR, Kattimani V, et al. · Biomed Mater Devices 1–14 (2023)

• Three-Dimensional Printing of Customized Scaffolds with Polycaprolactone–Silk Fibroin Composites and Integration of Gingival Tissue-Derived Stem Cells

Bojedla SSR, Yeleswarapu S, et al. · ACS Appl Bio Mater 5(9), 4465–4475 (2022)

• Enhancing Bone Implants: Magnesium-Doped Hydroxyapatite for Stronger, Bioactive, and Biocompatible Applications

Bhatnagar D, Gautam S, et al. · ACS Appl Bio Mater 7(4), 2272–2282 (2024)

The lab is an active contributor to 4D bioprinting — where a 3D-printed construct changes shape or function over time in response to biological or physical stimuli. Self-forming tubular structures fabricated from bi-layer hydrogel bilayers spontaneously roll into vascular conduits upon hydration, mimicking natural vessel formation. Smart hybrid hydrogels that respond to corneal curvature produce self-morphing stromal equivalents.

Supramolecular hydrogels — including folic acid-based and conductive formulations — are being explored for soft electronics, cardiac tissue applications, and peptide-based cartilage scaffolds. The lab's contributions to the international 4D Printing Roadmap underscore its leadership in this emerging discipline.

KEY PUBLICATIONS & BREAKTHROUGHS

• 4D bioprinting of self-forming tubular structures for enhanced vascular tissue engineering

Zeenat L, Zolfagharian A, Bera AK, et al. · IJBM 147088 (2025)

• 4D Printing Roadmap

Bodaghi M, Wang L, …, Zeenat L, Pati F, …, Zolfagharian A · SMS 33(11), 113501 (2024)

• 4D Printing for Vascular Tissue Engineering: Progress and Challenges

Zeenat L, Zolfagharian A, Sriya Y, et al. · Adv Mater Technol 2300200 (2023)

• Synergistic Coassembly of Folic Acid-Based Supramolecular Polymer with a Covalent Polymer Toward Fabricating Functional Antibacterial Biomaterials

Sahu I, Verma J, Bera AK, et al. · ACS AMI 16(26), 34141–34155 (2024)