Printing Custom Skin Grafts

Oct-03-14 Able to print a skin graft embedded with a patient's skin cells, the PrintAlive 3D printer could make higher quality burn-care more accessible to everyone.

Created by a team from the University of Toronto, the microwave-sized printer prints large layers of tissue that contain all the components of skin—including hair follicles and sweat glands. The printed skin also contains the patient's own skin cells, which are printed on the material in pattern rather than a continuous sheet. A culture of skin cells can take two weeks to grow, so requiring less helps save both time costs.

According to Dr. Marc Jeschke, the head of Sunnybrook Hospital's Ross Tilley Burn Center: "Ninety per cent of burns occur in low and middle income countries, with greater mortality and morbidity due to poorly-equipped health care systems and inadequate access to burn care facilities. Regenerating skin using a patient’s own stem cells can significantly decrease the risk of death in developing countries." The team was recently named the Canadian winners of the Canadian James Dyson Awards.

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