Skin grafts are very common in surgery, especially in burn accidents. One of the great scientific challenges is to obtain skin grafts capable of providing a high degree of regeneration and vascularization, guaranteeing good cell growth and optimal functioning. Columbia University scientists have created a new method for creating skin in any 3D format. So far, results in mice have been promising.

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Currently, graft skin can already be bioprinted, a 3D printing technique that promotes cell growth in a certain way, but the researchers say the technique “ignores the completely enclosed geometry of human skin,” preventing it from properly vascularizing. and functioning.

In a study titled “Designing Edgeless Human Skin with Enhanced Biomechanical Properties” published in the journal Science, researchers show positive results in mice testing “a fully enclosed 3D tissue that can be molded to a body part and easily transplanted like clothing.” . AND the biological clothing created by the researchers is called WESC (Wearable Edgeless Skin Constructs)..

According to Dr. Hassan Erbil Abachi, assistant professor of dermatology at Columbia University and principal investigator of the study: “Three-dimensional skin constructs that can be transplanted as ‘biological clothing’ have many advantages.” In his opinion, such biological clothing will minimize the need for suturing, reduce the duration of operations and give better aesthetic results. In addition, the results of the study show that the grafts performed better than the traditional ones mechanically and functionally.

How are WESC printed?

The production process for organic fur clothing does not differ much from existing bioprinting technologies. Firstly, The transplant site is first scanned with a 3D laser.. The data is processed with a CAD program to create a hollow framework for the application and then printed out.

The hollow structure serves as a place where the patient’s cultured cells will grow. ABOUT the tissue is covered with dermal fibroblasts and collagen and then covered with an outer layer of keratinocytes (of which the epidermis is composed), functioning as a source of nutrients for cell maturation. According to the researchers, the whole process takes about three weeks, after which the biological clothes are ready for transplantation.

Initial results in mice were positive, with good functional outcomes and a significant reduction in operative time. “The whole operation took about 10 minutes. It was like putting shorts on mice.” Despite this, it is clear to scientists that it will take a few more years before the first operations on humans begin to be done. In any case, it is very interesting to see how science develops and creates new ways of caring for people.

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Source: Science, Engadget.

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