摘要： In parallel with scaffold-based approaches involving cell seeding of porous structures, some authors have suggested that three-dimensional (3-D) biological structures can be built from the bottom up using the technology of bioprinting; the automated, computer-aided deposition of cells; cell aggregates; and biomaterials. To this end, inkjet printers have been successfully used to pattern biological assemblies according to a computer-aided design (CAD) template. Pressure-operated mechanical extruders have been also developed to handle living cells and cell aggregates. In parallel with these methods, laser-assisted printing technologies have emerged as alternative methods for the assembly and micropatterning of biomaterials and cells. Laser printing of biological material in general and living cells in particular is based on the laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) technique in which a pulsed laser is used to induce the transfer of material from a source film to a receiving substrate. Several variations of LIFT have been implemented to print living cells. For convenience, we will use the general term of LAB, although we will mainly discuss results obtained with a setup that requires an intermediate light-absorbing layer of metal. Thus, under suitable irradiation conditions and for liquids presenting a wide range of rheologies, the material can be deposited in the form of well-defined circular droplets with a high degree of spatial resolution.