Bioprinting for Skin
3D Bioprinting and Nanotechnology in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
Academic Press
London
281-306
2015
Type: Buchkapitel
Abstract
There is a strong demand for tissue-engineered (TE), fully functional skin for different applications. For extensive burns, and large and deep wounds, the method of autologous split-thickness skin graft, typically used in the clinic, is limited by the number and size of donor sites, and the aesthetical and/or functional outcome is often poor. Furthermore, the European cosmetics industry needs skin equivalents for product testing, since animal research for cosmetics testing is now considered illegal. TE human skin equivalents might even be a better model for the reaction of human skin. To date, there is still no skin equivalent that satisfactorily mimics natural skins’ functions (or appearance), such as the capability to control body temperature with sweat glands, sensory skills, immune competence, or hair follicles. Bioprinting might enable skin generation with all necessary cells in their specific microenvironment and the corresponding functions. The first demonstrations of printed skin tissue are presented here.