A Handheld Device Prints Skin Cells onto Severe Burn Injuries

Researchers from the university of Toronto have developed a printer that uses mesenchymal stromal cells as its ‘ink’. Mesenchymal stromal cells are able to differentiate into specialised cell types to promote skin regeneration.

Currently, skin grafts from other areas of the body are used to treat skin burns, however this becomes problematic when the burn area is particularly large. This device could be life saving in these cases, and may see clinical use withing the next 5 years.

We tested whether the device could do this effectively by using it to treat full-thickness burns in pigs. We found the device successfully deposited the ‘skin sheets’ onto the wounds uniformly, safely and reliably, and the sheets stayed in place with only very minimal movement

“Most significantly, our results showed that the MSC-treated wounds healed extremely well, with a reduction in inflammation, scarring, and contraction compared with both the untreated wounds and those treated with a collagen scaffold.

Now a handheld 3D printer can print skin cells to cover large burn wounds » TECHNOLOGY & US. (2020). Retrieved 12 February 2020, from https://www.technologyandus.com/now-a-handheld-3d-printer-can-print-skin-cells-to-cover-large-burn-wounds/