Multiscale 3D printing in tissue engineering: From micro/nanoscale precision to functional organoid fabrication
Three-dimensional biofabrication has become a central strategy in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, driven by the need to recreate the spatial, mechanical, and biochemical complexity of native cellular microenvironments. Light-based 3D printing technologies are particularly powerful in this context, since they enable contactless fabrication with programmable resolution and volumetric control across multiple length scales. In this review, the evolution of optical biofabrication strategies, focusing on the complementary and interdependent roles of volumetric bioprinting (VBP) and two-photon polymerization (TPP) is discussed. VBP addresses the challenge of organ-scale construction, enabling rapid fabrication of centimeter-scale, perfusable tissue architectures, while TPP provides subcellular precision for engineering the microscale niches that govern cell behavior. The review critically analyzes these technologies in tandem, outlining a multiscale integration framework that bridges the gap between microscale control and organ-scale function. VBP is first discussed as an emerging paradigm for organ-scale fabrication. By delivering spatially modulated light doses throughout an entire photosensitive volume, VBP enables layer-free formation of centimeter-scale, cell-laden constructs within seconds. This approach minimizes mechanical stress and preserves high cell viability. It also enables the fabrication of complex internal architectures, including perfusable vascular networks. Key advances in computed axial lithography, holographic patterning, and bioink engineering are reviewed, with emphasis on optical transparency, light scattering control, and rheological stability in cell-dense systems. In the second part of the work, two-photon polymerization is analyzed as a complementary high-resolution strategy for micro-nanoscale biofabrication. Owing to nonlinear optical confinement, TPP provides submicrometer spatial resolution and precise three-dimensional control over scaffold architecture, mechanics, and biochemical patterning. These capabilities enable deterministic regulation of cell–material interactions and have been applied to stem cell niche engineering, neural and vascular interface design, tumor microenvironment modeling, and biohybrid microsystems. Finally, by integrating the information gathered on VBP and TPP, we outline a multiscale integration framework is presented in which the two volumetric and two-photon approaches are combined to address distinct but interdependent biological requirements for functional organoids, ranging from organ-scale architecture and perfusion to microscale niche definition and molecular-level signaling. Remaining challenges in material heterogeneity, optical–biological coupling, and long-term tissue maturation are discussed, highlighting future directions toward predictive design and translational biofabrication of functional living systems.
