Development of silk microfiber-reinforced bioink for muscle tissue engineering and in situ printing by a handheld 3D printer.

Volumetric muscle loss (VML) presents a significant challenge in tissue engineering due to the irreparable nature of extensive muscle injuries. In this study, we propose a novel approach for VML treatment using a bioink composed of silk microfiber-reinforced silk fibroin (SF) hydrogel. The engineered scaffolds are predesigned to provide structural support and fiber alignment to promote tissue regeneration in situ.