Biofabrication Technicians

The biofabrication career guidance tool Biofab Explorer reports that there are four stages of the biofabrication process:

• cell culture and harvest: technicians isolate and grow living cells under controlled conditions to ensure the purity and consistency of the cell population
• scaffold fabrication: technicians use natural or synthetic biomaterials to build a structural framework that supports cell attachment, growth, and tissue development; 3D bioprinting is most commonly used to create these structures
• tissue maturation and bioreactor culture: technicians place the scaffold in a bioreactor to promote tissue development to form structurally and functionally relevant tissue or other bioproducts
• packaging, preservation, and transport: technicians carefully package, preserve (via cryopreservation or hypothermic storage), and transport the bioengineered product for its final use (e.g., implantation, clinical testing, research)

Biofabrication technicians work with technologists, scientists, and bioengineers during all these stages. Other duties for biofabrication technicians include preparing reports regarding their work, assisting with the daily operations and maintenance of the biofabrication lab, and maintaining environmental health and safety compliance and required documentation.