Science Is Pretty Close to Printing Skin
Yes, it’s true — researchers are one step closer to producing mass quantities of human skin.
According to an article from Digital Trends, scientists from Spain have created a prototype for a 3D bioprinter that has the ability to manufacture skin that is comprised of an epidermis (the top layer of skin, which is responsible for making new skin cells, giving skin its color, and protecting the body) and dermis (the second, thicker layer of skin, which produces collagen, giving skin its elasticity and strength).
“Over the past 15 years, we’ve been developing a method to produce large surfaces of human skin starting from cells that we isolate from a small biopsy of one patient,” José Luis Jorcano, professor of bioengineering and aerospace engineering at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, told Digital Trends. “This approach takes that work forward. It was natural for us to embrace bioprinting for the purpose of producing human skin, since up until now we’ve had to do this production manually.”
“The 3D printing has revolutionized the way we practice medicine,” said Misbah Khan, MD, FAAD, founder of M Khan Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery in New York City and clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College, in an interview with Yahoo Beauty. “It’s a no-brainer that scientists were able to do this, and I am very happy that it is happening.”
The report states that the bioengineered skin could be utilized for two purposes: to test cosmetics and pharmaceuticals for safety and efficiency and to create skin transplants for burn victims, as well as for “individuals with severe skin problems.” Khan believes these extreme conditions would include surgical situations, perhaps when a patient is diagnosed with skin cancer.
“Let’s say someone has a giant skin cancer on the leg and we have to remove it,” she explains. “In some situations, skin grafting is what’s preferred, and we hope and pray that all the graft will stay.”
While she states that many skin grafting surgeries are successful, Khan warns that “the larger the surface area, the less the chances the graft will take.” Having access to bioengineered skin could be “groundbreaking, because a large area can be replaced with fresh skin,” she suggested.
The report from Digital Trends adds that the process for receiving approvals from regulatory agencies has begun, and Khan foresees this technology becoming a viable medical option “fairly soon.”
“Keep in mind there is some aspect of restoring your own skin from generating your own cells that is already being done,” she says. “So I don’t think it’s going to be that long of a wait to be cleared by the FDA. I believe it’s another add-on step to a lot of the technology that already exists. Based on the information I have, I think it may happen within the next three to five years.”
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