To form 3D skin tissue constructs, the team printed fibroblast and keratinocyte cells layer by layer. They have proven skin tissue formation by visualizing intercellular junctions and verifying their functionality,4 and they have observed basal lamina formation. Implanted in mice, the printed skin constructs show an ingrowth of blood vessels and differentiation of the epidermal keratinocytes.5
Next, the team will print bacteria and microorganisms.
REFERENCES
1. L. Koch et al., Tissue Eng. Part C Methods, 16, 5, 847–854 (2010); http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/ten.tec.2009.0397.
2. M. Gruene et al., Biofabrication, 3, 015005 (2011); http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1758-5082/3/1/015005.
3. M. Gruene et al., Tissue Eng. Part C Methods, 17, 973–982 (2011); http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/ten.tec.2011.0185.
4. L. Koch et al., Biotechnol. Bioeng., 109, 7, 1855–1863 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bit.24455.
5. S. Michael et al., PLoS One, 8, 3, e57741 (2013); http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0057741.