Every day, science makes medical breakthroughs that can change our lives. And now scientists have created a portable printer that corrects damaged skin due to injuries such as extreme burns.
in 2017 Spanish scientists from the Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M), Center for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research (CIEMAT) have created a special, large bioperinter that prints human skin.
in 2018, a Canadian team has begun research to obtain a handheld device that "prints" sheets of artificial skin directly onto burn victims' wounds.
"It's like an adhesive tape dispenser", said the researcher Axel Günther. "Instead of a roll of tape you have a micro device that provides a piece of fabric."
Canadian scientists recently published the encouraging results of their latest portable device test in the Biofabrication magazine. Doctors currently have several options for treating severe burns including collagen scaffolds, in vitro skin substitutes and skin grafts.
Today, skin is "transplanted" from one part of the body to another
The most commonly used method is skin grafting: prevede la rimozione di tessuto danneggiato e la sua sostituzione con pelle sana da un’altra parte del corpo. Ma gli innesti non sono sempre un’opzione praticabile.
In cases where a patient has severe third-degree burns that destroy both the upper and lower layers of the skin, sufficient healthy skin is not always sufficient to use.
Alternative treatments of burns such as collagen scaffolds and in vitro skin substitutes have other downsides.
Print the skin directly on the wounds
These are the reasons why the team created a device that eliminates the need for skin grafts by depositing strips of a special bio-ink directly on a wound. The bio-ink contains healing proteins and stromal mesenchymal cells that help the immune system and stimulate the growth of new cells.
For the experimentation, the scientists tested the skin printing device in third-degree burns on pigs and were very impressed with the results.
"We found that the device successfully deposited the 'sheets of skin' on the wounds in a uniform, safe and reliable manner and that the sheets stayed in place without moving" said the researcher Marc Jeschke.
“More significantly, our results showed that wounds treated with mesenchymal stromal cell-based skin print healed very well. The reduction in inflammation, scarring and contraction compared to both untreated wounds is remarkable. Skin printing provides better results even than collagen scaffolds. "
Skin print: absolute importance
in 2016 i ricercatori di Harvard hanno realizzato il primo heart-on-a-chip stampato in 3D con rilevamento integrato. E in 2019 that research was improved by Israeli scientists who got the first 3D printed heart with human tissues and vessels. That was the first ever use of bio-ink. The future begins now.
This new leather can also be used in research and testing of cosmetics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. This is badly needed, since even the apparently non-invasive ones (like sunscreen) have effects on the body.
