Dr. Daniel J. Kelly and his team at Trinity College Dublin researched how changing the formulation of an alginate bioink can alter the mechanical properties of a 3D printed scaffold. Like preparing a sauce, the consistency of a bioink can be adjusted by changing the concentration of its ingredients. However, it's more complex in biomedical research and requires analytical tools for quantification. Alginate, a natural biomaterial from algae, can quickly crosslink in the presence of ions (like Ca2+), forming a cohesive hydrogel with tunable properties. This makes it an ideal bioink for 3D bioprinting in tissue engineering and drug delivery.