AccScience Publishing / IJB / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/IJB025480500
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Early Access

A quantitative calibration strategy for reproducible extrusion-based bioprinting using GelMA hydrogels

Laura Mendoza-Cerezo1,2 Jesús M. Rodríguez-Rego1* Antonio Macías-García3 Silvia M. Díaz-Prado4 Alfonso C. Marcos-Romero11*
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1 Departamento de Expresión Gráfica. Escuela de Ingenierías Industriales. Universidad de Extremadura. Avenida de Elvas, s/n. 06006-Badajoz. España
2 Departamento de bioquímica. Facultad de Ciencias. Universidad de Extremadura. Avenida de Elvas, s/n. 06006-Badajoz. España
3 Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Energética y de Materiales. Escuela de Ingenierías Industriales. Universidad de Extremadura. Avenida de Elvas, s/n. 06006-Badajoz. España
4 Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña (INIBIC), Fundación Pública Gallega de Investigación Biomédica INIBIC, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruña (CHUAC), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), A Coruña, 15006, España
Received: 29 November 2025 | Accepted: 19 January 2026 | Published online: 19 January 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s).. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Extrusion-based 3D bioprinting remains limited by the absence of standardized methods to define the pressure conditions required for stable hydrogel flow. As a result, most workflows still rely on empirical tuning, which compromises reproducibility, structural fidelity and interlaboratory comparability. Addressing this gap requires quantitative tools capable of identifying the minimum pressure for extrusion and the pressure range in which continuous, defect-free flow is maintained. This work presents a modular characterization platform integrating real-time pressure sensing, together with nozzle temperature regulation and environmental monitoring (temperature, humidity and CO₂) to ensure controlled and reproducible extrusion conditions. Using 10% GelMA, pressure-displacement curves revealed a stabilization pressure of 165 kPa, associated with continuous extrusion and minimal geometric deviation, and bounded by experimentally validated under-extrusion (155 kPa) and over-extrusion (185 kPa) conditions. Bioprinting tests confirmed that operating within this stabilization zone improves filament uniformity, print fidelity, and dimensional accuracy compared with under- and over-extrusion regimes. Quantitative metrics, including deflection analysis, printability parameter (Pr), void-area similarity and structural similarity index (SSIM), demonstrated superior reproducibility at the stabilization pressure. Biological validation using MCF-7 cells showed that 165 kPa preserved high viability (97.9%), whereas extrusion at 185 kPa reduced survival to 88.6%, confirming the sensitivity of cell integrity to excess shear stress. Together, these findings establish a sensor-driven calibration strategy that replaces trial-and-error parameter selection with quantitative and reproducible pre-print optimization. The device is compatible with commercial bioprinters and provides a practical framework for improving process standardization, structural fidelity and biological safety in extrusion-based bioprinting. The platform is conceived as an independent, modular device for experimental calibration of extrusion parameters prior to bioprinting.

Keywords
Device
3D Bioprinting
Design 3D
Tissue Engineering
Cell Viability
Cytotoxicity
Funding
This research was funded by project BIOIMP_ACE_MAS_6_E, co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg VI-A Spain-Portugal Programme (POCTEP) 2021-2027. This research has been co-funded 85% by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund and the Junta de Extremadura through projects GR24001.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing