3D bioprinting of iPSC-derived tissues: From structural fabrication to functional maturation and clinical translation
Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting combined with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offers a practical route to building human tissue models with improved structural and functional relevance. By controlling cell placement and local microenvironments, these systems better reproduce tissue organization and multicellular interactions than conventional culture methods. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of recent advances in iPSC-based bioprinting, with a focus on how biofabrication strategies shape tissue organization and function. Recent work has shifted the field away from simply achieving structural fidelity toward maintaining stable and reproducible function. Progress in bioink design, vascularization strategies, and multi-material printing has enabled the generation of cardiac tissues with perfusable networks, neural constructs with coordinated activity, and metabolic tissues with sustained functional output. These advances have strengthened the use of bioprinted tissues in disease modeling and drug evaluation. Evidence from early clinical studies suggests that translation is currently driven by modular and well-defined products rather than fully printed organs. Cardiac patches, dopaminergic progenitor cell therapies, stem cell–derived islets, and retinal implants illustrate how simpler, function-oriented constructs can meet clinical and manufacturing requirements. The review further discusses key challenges for clinical translation, including tissue maturation, manufacturing scalability, and regulatory standardization. By connecting technological advances with emerging clinical evidence, this review establishes a conceptual framework for translating iPSC-based bioprinting into practical therapeutic applications.
