By Wired Magazine –
Swedish researchers have developed two types of 3D bioprinting technology to artificially generate skin containing blood vessels. It could be a breakthrough in the quest to regenerate damaged skin.
When treating severe burns and trauma, skin regeneration can be a matter of life or death. Extensive burns are usually treated by transplanting a thin layer of epidermis, the top layer of skin, from elsewhere on the body. However, this method not only leaves large scars, it also does not restore the skin to its original functional state. Unless the dermis, the layer below the epidermis, which contains blood vessels and nerves, is regenerated, it cannot be considered normal living skin.
Now, work by Swedish researchers may have brought medicine closer to being able to regenerate living skin. They have developed two types of 3D bioprinting techniques to artificially generate thick skin that is vascularized, meaning it contains blood vessels. One technique produces skin that is packed with cells, and the other produces arbitrarily shaped blood vessels in the tissue. The two technologies take different approaches to the same challenge. The approaches have been outlined in two studies published in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials.
