Researchers at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) have developed bioprinted skin that accelerates wound healing, supports healthy extracellular matrix remodeling, and may lead to complete wound recovery, according to a research paper in Science Translational Medicine.
This study involved bioprinting all six major primary human cell types present in skin. When transplanted onto mice and pigs in pre-clinical settings, the bioprinted skin formed blood vessels, skin patterns, and normal tissue formation. The study demonstrated improved wound closure, reduced skin contraction, and more collagen production to reduce scarring.
Important for burn victims, wounded warriors, and those with skin disorders
Skin regeneration has long been studied with hopes of providing complete healing for burn victims, wounded warriors, and those with skin disorders. Available grafts are often temporary, or if permanent, have only some of the elements of normal skin, which often have a scarred appearance. The creation of full-thickness skin has not been possible to date.
Anthony Atala, M.D., director of WFIRM and Adam Jorgensen, M.D., Ph.D., post-doctorate researcher at WFIRM, co-led the study.
Citation: Jorgensen, A. M., Gorkun, A., Mahajan, N., Willson, K., Clouse, C., Jeong, C. G., Varkey, M., Wu, M., Walker, S. J., Molnar, J. A., Murphttps://doi.org/adf7547hy, S. V., Lee, S. J., Yoo, J. J., Soker, S., & Atala, A. (2023). Multicellular bioprinted skin facilitates human-like skin architecture in vivo. Science Translational Medicine. https://doi.org/adf7547. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.adf7547