Printing of living cells by using ultra-short laser pulses

According to the superior cell survival rates, laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) has been used in recent years for the flexible and gentle 3D-bioprinting of cells [1] . One drawback of the state-of-the-art nanosecond laser based cell printing is the fact, that material from an inorganic sacrificial layer, which is required for laser energy absorption, is transferred to the printed target structure where it contaminates the printed construct [2] . Instead of an inorganic sacrificial layer, protein based donor films have been used in combination with nanosecond ultraviolet (UV) laser sources. However, UV radiation can introduce DNA double strand breaks, thereby imposing the risk of cancerogenisis [3] .