3D printing grows and heals wounds by printing skin

Scientists have created a mobile bio-printer that, when it is filled with a patient's cells, prints the skin directly into a wound.

We have written on 3D printing for what seems like an eternity. From its enduring benefits to its ability to spit tiny homes to $ 4,000 and the same grandiose architectural statements. Not to mention whole colonies on Mars.

But now, additive manufacturing has entered a new field with the very first mobile bioprinter; it does not cover the plastic forms, but prints the skin on the wounds. This is not the first time that 3D printing has been used in medicine – it is using it to create organs, vessels and limbs. But the practical appearance and effectiveness of a mobile printer for the skin seem to be helpful.

"Imagine a day when a bio-printer containing a patient's own cells can be transported to bed to heal large wounds or burns by printing skin by layer, to begin the healing process," notes a statement from the Wake Forest School of Medicine. "This day is not far away."

Scientists at the School's Institute of Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) have created the mobile skin bio-print system that looks even more futuristic than a 3D-printed colony on Mars.

At the moment, skin grafts are the method of choice for treating large wounds and burns, but this becomes difficult when there is not enough healthy skin to use. With millions of Americans suffering from chronic wounds, bulky or not healing, the cost is usually exorbitant because many treatments are often needed.

That would help to solve that. It could also be used by military personnel, for whom burns account for 10 to 30 percent of combat losses in conventional warfare, according to the researchers. (Who tried this on fake arms, so no need to cringe when looking at the pictures below.)

"This technology could eliminate the need for painful skin grafts that further disfigure patients with major wounds or burns," said Anthony Atala, director of WFIRM, and co-author of the paper. "A mobile bioprinter that can handle extensive wounds locally could help accelerate the delivery of care and reduce costs for patients."

The process begins with the isolation of healthy skin cells from a small biopsy of healthy tissue. The cells are mixed in a hydrogel and some science fiction magic happens before the machine starts to form skin on the wound. Translation: "Integrated imaging technology that includes a device that analyzes the wound, inserts the data into the software to tell the print heads which cells exactly deliver to the wound, layer by layer." The bio-printer deposits the cells directly in the wound, reproducing the structure of the skin in layers and accelerating the formation of the structure and function of normal skin "

"If you deliver the patient's cells, they actively contribute to wound healing by organizing the healing process more quickly," says James Yoo, MD, PhD, who led the research team and co-led – Wrote the author document, Sean Murphy, PhD,. "While there are other types of wound healing products available to treat wounds and help them close, these products do not actually contribute to the creation of the skin."

The researchers were able to show that the system worked by printing the skin directly on preclinical models. The next step, they say, is to conduct a clinical trial in humans.

For more information, see the research published in Nature's Scientific Reports.