The bioprinter will patch the burned skin
'Skin Printer' Could Help Heal Battlefield Wounds (Technology Review)
Researchers at the Institute of Regenerative Medicine, part of Wake Forest University, have created a unique "printer" for the treatment of skin lesions, whose cartridges are filled with "ink" from living cells.
The "bioprinter for skin printing" moves along two axes: X and Y (A), its printhead contains cartridges filled with living cells (B)
The system, presented by the developers at the clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons, is based on the principle of functioning of conventional inkjet printers, which allows it to "print" large fragments of living tissue directly on top of damaged skin.
The print head of the printer consists of two compartments, one of which provides the application of a mixture of skin cells, fibrinogen (one of the components of the blood coagulation system) and type I collagen (the main component of the connective tissue forming scars) to the damage zone, and the second – thrombin (another component of the coagulation system).
The double printhead begins to release its contents only when it comes into contact with the treated area
Like the components of fast–setting polymers, mixing of which triggers a chemical reaction leading to solidification, the compounds contained in the printer heads react with the formation of fibrin, another protein involved in the formation of blood clots, when mixed. A layer of surface skin cells – keratinocytes - is applied to the resulting structure, also with the help of a printer.
The importance of this achievement can hardly be overestimated, since burns and injuries with a diameter of 4 or more centimeters, accompanied by damage to all layers of the skin, do not heal on their own.
Experiments on mice have demonstrated that the use of the new method accelerates wound healing both in the second and third weeks after the procedure. At the same time, complete healing and formation of scar tissue in animals of the experimental group occurred in the third week, which was not observed in the control group.
The pictures show treated (above) and untreated (below) skin areas in the third week of recovery.
In the near future, the developers plan to test their printer on pigs, whose skin structure is more similar to human. After that, the innovation will have to undergo clinical trials and take its rightful place, first of all, in burn centers and military field hospitals.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of CNews R&D
02.11.2010