Q COSTA RICA — The Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR)—University of Costa Rica—has acquired its first 3D bioprinter, expanding the country’s ability to research human-tissue regeneration, biomaterials, and personalized medicine.
The equipment, manufactured by Tissuelabs, was purchased in November 2025 by the university’s Nanobiosystems Laboratory, part of the Center for Research in Atomic, Nuclear and Molecular Sciences within UCR’s Faculty of Sciences. The university says the system will allow researchers to build biological models that reproduce some of the characteristics of real human tissue.
The development does not mean that Costa Rica is ready to print transplantable organs or offer bioprinted treatments to patients. Its immediate purpose is research: creating controlled three-dimensional structures that can be used to study how materials, cells and tissues interact.
According to the report, the technology could strengthen work involving bone regeneration, tissue engineering, biophysics, microfluidics and biomaterials.
From materials to tissue-like systems
Conventional 3D printers manufacture objects from materials such as plastic or resin. Bioprinters are designed to deposit biocompatible substances and, depending on the project, living cells in precise patterns. This makes it possible to construct models that more closely resemble the organization and behavior of biological tissue.
That distinction is important. Researchers can learn a great deal by studying a material on its own, but biological systems are more complicated. Cells respond to their surroundings, interact with neighboring cells, and react differently when exposed to mechanical forces, chemicals, or changes in structure.
Leonardo Lesser Rojas, a researcher at UCR’s Center for Research in Atomic, Nuclear and Molecular Sciences, said the new equipment will help researchers move beyond examining materials in isolation and toward studying systems that more closely reflect the conditions found in actual tissue.
The initial focus includes bone regeneration. Damaged bone can sometimes repair itself, but serious injuries, disease, and large defects may require grafts or other interventions. Researchers hope that engineered structures could eventually support the repair of damaged tissue or provide alternatives to existing grafting techniques.
International research is also exploring bioprinted skin substitutes, cartilage structures and bone grafts. These applications remain at different stages of laboratory and clinical development, and their success depends on factors such as the material’s strength, compatibility with the body, vascularization and the ability of living cells to function properly after implantation.
A broader platform for biomedical research
UCR has registered a pilot project called “Development of an Integrated 3D Bioprinting and Organ-on-Chip Platform.” The project will combine three-dimensional biological models with organ-on-chip systems—small devices designed to reproduce selected functions and conditions of human organs.
Together, these tools could help scientists study disease, observe cellular behavior and test how tissues respond to different stimuli. They may also offer a way to conduct certain experiments in models that are more biologically relevant than a flat cell culture, while reducing reliance on less representative laboratory systems.
The university also envisions using the platform for academic training, applied research and specialized services for companies and other institutions. Students are already receiving training in the operation and potential applications of the bioprinter, including senior physics students Estefany García and María José Víquez.
This educational dimension may be just as significant as the machine itself. Advanced biomedical equipment is valuable only when researchers know how to use it, maintain it and connect it to meaningful scientific questions. By training students and bringing together specialists in physics, engineering, biology and materials science, UCR can build expertise that lasts beyond a single project.
Why the development matters
Costa Rica’s achievement is less about owning a sophisticated printer than about building a national research capacity around it. A shared platform could allow different university groups, hospitals, public institutions and companies to collaborate on projects that would otherwise require access to laboratories abroad.
It may also help Costa Rican researchers develop models suited to local research priorities rather than relying entirely on imported technologies. Over time, that could strengthen the country’s position in biomaterials, regenerative medicine and biomedical engineering.
Still, the path from a printed tissue model to a medical treatment is long. Researchers must demonstrate that a structure is safe, stable and effective. They must understand how the body will respond to it, determine whether it can receive a blood supply, and meet strict regulatory requirements before clinical use. Personalized tissue engineering introduces additional challenges involving the patient’s cells, manufacturing consistency and cost.
For that reason, the most accurate description of the UCR initiative is not that Costa Rica is about to print human organs. It is that the country has acquired a tool that may allow its scientists to study human biology with greater precision and develop the foundations for future regenerative therapies.
The project’s success will depend on what comes next: sustained funding, interdisciplinary collaboration, rigorous validation and partnerships capable of moving promising laboratory results toward clinical research. If those conditions are met, the new bioprinter could become more than an isolated piece of equipment. It could serve as the center of a broader biomedical ecosystem in Costa Rica—one that trains researchers, supports local science and explores new ways to repair damaged tissue.