The Choi lab aims to develop Near-Infrared (NIR)-functionalized bioinks for non-invasive fluorescence monitoring with TR&D2. The project will investigate the applicability of non-invasive fluorescent imaging technology for 3D printed scaffold-based tissue engineering applications, specifically amine-functionalized hydrogels and polymeric bioinks. This functionalized system can be conjugated with novel NIR fluorophores developed by the Choi lab for noninvasively monitoring in vivo scaffold behavior. NIR fluorescence imaging can be used to monitor the interactions between stem cells and scaffolds, which is one of the vital elements for success in cell-based tissue engineering.