New 3D printer used to create functional human skin

Researchers have created a new prototype 3D bioprinter that can be used to produce totally functional human skin for medical applications.

Scientists from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, CIEMAT and the Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Maranon have been able to use the technology to create replica skin that replicates the natural structure of organic skin tissue.

It can be used to produce allogeneic skin from a stock of cells on a large scale for industrial processes, or to create autologous skin on a case-by-case basis from the patient's own cells for therapeutic use, such as in the treatment of severe burns.

This cheap, rapid production method can be used to deliver tissue for transplantation or for use in business settings to test chemical and pharmaceutical products or cosmetics, meaning the use of animal test subjects can be avoided.

Alfredo Brisac, chief executive officer of the Spanish bioengineering firm BioDan Group, a collaborator on this research, said: "This method of bioprinting allows skin to be generated in a standardised, automated way, and the process is less expensive than manual production."

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