WALTHAM, Mass., April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FluidForm Bio™, a leader in cell therapies for chronic diseases such as type 1 diabetes, today announced a major advancement in vascularized tissue engineering. A newly published study in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering demonstrates how FRESH™ 3D bioprinting, combined with sacrificial gelatin microparticles, significantly enhances cell viability in thick tissue constructs by improving nutrient diffusion and enabling scalable perfusion strategies.
The study, led by FluidForm Bio Co-Founder Andrew Hudson, Ph.D., addresses a key limitation in tissue engineering—the inability to keep cells alive deep within engineered tissues before vascular networks form. By embedding gelatin microparticles, the team created highly porous scaffolds that sustained cell viability nearly five times deeper than traditional methods. When paired with perfused vascular-like channels, these constructs achieved a high level of viability throughout.
“This work highlights the evolving power of the FRESH™ platform—not only as a precision bioprinting tool but as an integrated solution for building viable, vascularized tissues,” said Mike Graffeo, CEO and Co-Founder of FluidForm Bio. “It brings us a step closer to scalable, implantable therapies for chronic diseases like diabetes, where vascularization is critical.”
In addition to experimental results, the study introduced a computational model to predict oxygen distribution and inform vessel spacing—an essential capability for future clinical-scale tissue design. These findings expand the utility of FRESH™ in therapeutic tissue development and reinforce FluidForm Bio’s leadership in enabling next-generation regenerative medicine.
The text of the paper can be found here: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.4c02169
For more information on FluidForm Bio’s technology and development programs, please visit www.fluidformbio.com.
About FluidForm Bio™
FluidForm Bio™ is a biotechnology company developing next-generation cell therapies for chronic diseases leveraging its proprietary FRESH™ 3D bioprinting technology platform. Using FRESH, FluidForm creates functional tissue with the same materials found in the human body, eliminating chemistries and materials known to trigger negative immune response. FRESH is a powerful vascularization platform, allowing the building of densely cellular vascularized tissue that maintains viability upon implant.
The company’s lead program is an islet cell therapy for type 1 diabetes in which insulin-producing beta cells are arranged in a tissue scaffold ready for subcutaneous implantation. This method is less invasive and less toxic when compared to other delivery sites, offering retrievability and reducing surgical risks and recovery time for patients. This novel approach to islet cell replacement therapy presents a transformative advancement in diabetes treatment. With superior fabrication techniques, enhanced vascularization, a robust immune modulation platform, and a convenient subcutaneous implant, this method addresses many limitations of current technologies. These improvements offer the potential for a more effective, durable, and patient-friendly therapy, offering new hope for individuals with diabetes.
Founded in 2018, FluidForm is headquartered in Waltham, MA. To learn more, please visit: fluidformbio.com or connect on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Contact:
Corey Davis, Ph.D.
LifeSci Advisors
+1 212 915 2577
cdavis@lifesciadvisors.com