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. 2020 Feb 18;7(1):17. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering7010017

Table 3.

General characteristics of the different fabrication methods.

Method Biological Applications Advantage Limitation In Vivo Recapitulation Strength
Templating Permeability, angiogenesis, physical factors Ease of use, round channel geometry Minimal diameter, simple architecture Low
Layer-by-layer composition Perfusion, permeability Large 3D networks Alignment, channel geometry Low
3D printing sacrificial template Perfusion, remodelling Round channel geometry Complex print planning required Medium
Laser ablation Perfusion High resolution and control Needed equipment, fabrication time Medium
3D printing cell/matrix mixture Tissue engineering, perfusion Biologically active Less control over geometry, complex printing setup High
Angiogenesis-based platforms Angiogenesis, remodelling, perfusion, permeability Close to in vivo vessels in anatomy and function Less control over geometry, results depending on configuration and not always directly translational to in vivo High
Vasculogenesis-based platforms Vasculogenesis, remodelling, perfusion, permeability Close to in vivo vessels in anatomy and function Complex concert of factors needed, making individual components hard to investigate High