Dear Colleagues:

3D bioprinting is entering a new phase, in which the goal is no longer merely to reproduce tissue architecture, but to engineer living systems that are functional, adaptive, and capable of bioelectrical communication. This evolution is driven by the development of smart bioinks and stimuli-responsive scaffolds that do not simply host cells, but actively direct their organization and behavior. At the same time, advances in in-situ and real-time analytical technologies are transforming bioprinted constructs into dynamic systems that can be monitored and even guided, as they form.

This topic focuses on the convergence between multimaterial, hybrid bioinks and integrated bioelectronic strategies capable of providing controlled stimulation alongside continuous functional readouts. Such approaches enable the design of closed-loop biofabrication platforms, in which feedback between cellular response and applied cues shapes the maturation of electroactive tissues, including cardiac, neural, and skeletal muscle models. The future of bioprinting lies in this interactive paradigm: not simply constructing tissues, but engaging with them as evolving biological entities, capable of sensing, responding, and self-organizing.

Keywords:

3D bioprinting; 

Smart biomaterials;

Conductive scaffolds;

Electroactive tissues;

Real time tissue monitoring;

stimuli-responsive hydrogels;

hybrid biomaterials;

multimaterial biofabrication.