Bioengineered advancement may have implications for more natural-looking reconstructive surgery outcomes.
This is according to an international research team that has just achieved an advancement in bioengineering, which could potentially revolutionise reconstructive surgery outcomes.
Their work, published in Bioactive Materials, demonstrates the ability to 3D print living skin with hair follicle precursors.
It offers new hope for more natural-looking facial reconstruction and hair growth treatments.
Led by Ibrahim T Ozbolat, a professor at Penn State, the team utilised fat tissue as a critical component in their bioprinting process.
By harnessing fat cells and supporting structures from human tissue, the researchers could precisely correct injuries in rats, showcasing the potential for this technology in human applications.
The US Patent and Trademark Office granted the team a patent for their bioprinting technology, highlighting its innovative nature.
Unlike previous attempts at 3D bioprinting thin skin layers, the researchers successfully printed a full, living system of multiple skin layers, including the crucial hypodermis.
This ability to print tissue intraoperatively, meaning during surgery, could significantly improve the repair of damaged skin.
The hypodermis, composed of connective tissue and fat, plays a vital role in wound healing and hair follicle cycling.
By incorporating stem cells from adipose tissue into their bioprinting process, the researchers achieved both the hypodermis and dermis layers, with the epidermis forming naturally within two weeks.
The team observed early hair follicle formation in the hypodermis. While fat cells themselves do not directly contribute to hair follicle structure, they play a crucial role in regulation and maintenance.
According to the team, this technology offers a promising path forward in dermatology, hair transplants and reconstructive surgeries.
The ability to precisely grow hair in injured or diseased areas could lead to more aesthetically pleasing outcomes for patients undergoing reconstructive procedures.
Ibrahim T Ozbolat said, ‘Reconstructive surgery to correct trauma to the face or head from injury or disease is usually imperfect, resulting in scarring or permanent hair loss. With this work, we demonstrate bio-printed, full-thickness skin that can grow hair in rats. That’s a step closer to achieving more natural-looking and aesthetically pleasing head and face reconstruction in humans.’
He believes the ability to grow hair in injured or diseased sites of trauma precisely can limit how natural reconstructive surgery may appear. However, this work offers a ‘hopeful path forward’, especially alongside lab work involving printing bone and investigating pigmentation across various skin tones.
He added: ‘With the fully automated bioprinting ability and compatible materials at the clinical grade, this technology may significantly impact the clinical translation of precisely reconstructed skin.’
This research represents a significant step towards the clinical translation of bio-printed skin with hair follicle precursors.
Grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye supported it.
With further development and refinement, this technology holds the potential to transform the field of regenerative medicine.
Photo - Miji Yeo, a postdoctoral researcher at Penn State, checks the bio-ink cartridges on a 3D printer developed to print layers of skin intraoperatively.
Credit: Michelle Bixby/Penn State.
