Scientists develop 3D-printed dermis for faster burn recovery

Researchers have developed a 3D-printed ‘skin in a syringe’, using a patient’s own cells to create a functional dermis. This new technology could change how severe burns are treated.

Researchers at the Swedish Center for Disaster Medicine and Traumatology and Linköping University have developed a novel 3D-printed "skin in a syringe" technology to enhance the treatment of severe burns. This innovative approach focuses on replacing the dermis, the critical underlying skin layer, to prevent the severe scarring often associated with current treatments that only replace the epidermis. The method involves combining a patient's own fibroblasts, grown on porous gelatine beads, with a hyaluronic acid gel using "click chemistry." This mixture remains liquid under pressure for syringe application and then solidifies back into a gel, facilitating precise and controlled delivery to the wound site. Initial studies in mice have shown successful cell survival, new dermis formation, and crucially, the growth of new blood vessels—a significant hurdle in tissue engineering. This breakthrough has broad implications beyond burn care, potentially accelerating progress in organoid research and other forms of regenerative medicine.

Author

John Galatas

Editor-in-Chief CTM-E

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