CELLINK series

Universal bioinks for innovative research

In 2016, CELLINK addressed the challenge of developing a universal bioink formulation to advance the bioprinting field. As a result, we developed CELLINK Bioink — the first universal bioink for use in any bioprinting system, enabling convenient 3D tissue engineering with any cell type. This bioink is based on nanofibrillar cellulose and alginate derived from natural sources. It’s developed under stringent quality control to ensure consistency across your research experiments. Beyond offering excellent printability and cell viability, the bioink can be modified with peptides and growth factors to meet any project’s needs.

We developed a series of bioinks tailored for different applications by modifying CELLINK Bioink with RGD peptides, fibrinogen, tricalcium phosphate and laminins. Just mix CELLINK Bioink with a high concentration of cells and bioprint your desired structure. Crosslink with our calcium chloride-containing Crosslinking Agent, wash and culture in your desired cell medium.

Combining the advantages of shear-thinning nanofibrillar cellulose and the versatility of alginate, CELLINK Bioink has unparalleled consistency and printability. CELLINK Bioink has a smooth flow at a wide range of temperatures and maintains its shape after printing.

Well-dispersed cellulose nanofibrils enable stable CELLINK bioinks with shear-thinning behavior perfect for bioprinting, as their viscosity decreases consistently with increased shear rate. CELLINK LAMININKs have a slightly lower viscosity to form softer bioprinted constructs.

The product series:

CELLINK® Bioink

CELLINK Bioink is the first universal bioink designed to optimize bioprinting of human tissues. CELLINK Bioink is a nonanimal derived polysaccharide hydrogel, comprised of a cellulose and alginate base. Its biocompatibility and ease of use make it an excellent bioink for 3D cell culturing. Early research with CELLINK Bioink demonstrated its capacity to support the synthesis of cartilage-specific extracellular matrix components by human chondrocytes. CELLINK Bioink has also demonstrated prolific compatibility with skin and tumor tissues.

CELLINK® RGD

CELLINK RGD is an enhanced composition of CELLINK Bioink. This bioink contains alginate covalently conjugated with the cell attachment peptide sequence RGD. The sequence is derived from fibronectin and is the most commonly recognized sequence by cells for adhesion. RGD has wide applicability in the engineering of nearly every tissue. The sequence has also been used for the surface treatment of bone and vascular implants to improve integration within the body.

CELLINK® FIBRIN

CELLINK FIBRIN is designed to fabricate many different tissues and skin-related constructs, and for wound-healing studies. Fibrin is a protein critical in tissue healing due to its clotting capabilities. CELLINK FIBRIN comes with a crosslinking solution enhanced with thrombin to enable development of a stable network. After crosslinking with thrombin, CELLINK FIBRIN contains both in situ fibrin and fibrinogen to provide a more physiological wound healing environment.

CELLINK® SKIN

CELLINK SKIN is optimized to culture fibroblasts, keratinocytes and melanocytes for fabricating skin and skin-related constructs. This bioink contains fibrinogen to recreate the native wound-healing environment. CELLINK SKIN comes with a crosslinking solution enhanced with thrombin to support the formation of a full thickness skin tissue model. After crosslinking with thrombin, CELLINK SKIN contains in situ fibrin and fibrinogen to provide an environment that mimics the native wound-healing process. CELLINK SKIN is designed for skin model research and compound testing.

CELLINK® BONE

CELLINK BONE is a modified composition of our universal CELLINK Bioink designed to guide cell differentiation and impart osteogenic capacity. Tricalcium phosphate particles are uniformly dispersed within CELLINK BONE to ensure consistent printability. CELLINK BONE is intended for use with cell types and tissue applications related to bones, joints and their interfaces, such as the bone-to-ligament or bone-to-cartilage transition regions. CELLINK BONE can be used as a base material for fabricating bone constructs, and it can be supplemented with other osteogenic factors like BMP-2 to further enhance its properties.

CELLINK® LAMININK

The CELLINK LAMININKs include CELLINK LAMININK 111, 121, 411, 521 and +. These bioinks integrate different laminins to mimic the basal lamina and the natural tissue environment. Laminins play an important role in cell differentiation, migration and adhesion, and are also involved in supporting healthy tissue. The CELLINK LAMININKs are designed to improve tissue maintenance and survival. The bioinks maximize cell viability and are a great starting point for culture of many cell types. Compared to other heterogenous matrices, our laminins’ xenographic source enables better control over the matrix environment.