#3DStartup BIO INX on the Development of Innovative Bio Inks for 3D Printing

When will we be able to print usable organs? That is probably the question most often asked in connection with 3D bioprinting. And we have regularly reported on groundbreaking progress in this direction. For example, there are exciting projects to print neural networks, bioactive bone structures, wound-healing bio-inks and many more. Indeed, bioprinting is a major interest for the scientific community, but it’s also a business. According to a report by Markets and Markets, the 3D bioprinting market is expected to reach $3.3 billion by 2027, up from about 2 billion in 2022. This underscores the numerous researches on new processes and bio-inks to continue making profitable discoveries and driving revolutionary developments.

However, to print organs, muscles and tissues, the necessary cellular material is needed: bio-inks that can be used in additive manufacturing processes. One company that specializes in the production of such bio inks is BIO INX. The Belgian startup is engaged in the development of innovative and high-performance inks to push biofabrication and its applications. In the interview with CEO Jasper Van Hoorick, we learned more about the founding of the company and the exciting projects BIO INX is working on.

Jasper Van Hoorick, CEO at BIO INX

3DN: Could you introduce yourself and tell us how you got into 3D printing?

I am Jasper Van Hoorick, CEO and cofounder of BIO INX. I got into 3D (bio)printing during my PhD at Ghent University and Vrije Universiteit Brussel. During my masters and subsequent PhD (in chemistry and engineering) I was working on the development of new biocompatible materials (i.e. Gelatin and Polyesters) for 3D bioprinting technologies, more specifically two-photon polymerization, which is a high resolution laser based 3D printing technology. It was during my master’s that I got fascinated by the field of 3D bioprinting and decided to pursue a PhD in it as well.