Session B2
Paper #5
Disclaimer — This paper partially fulfills a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at the University
of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. This paper is a student, not a professional, paper. This paper is based on
publicly available information and may not be provide complete analyses of all relevant data. If this paper is used for any
purpose other than these authors’ partial fulfillment of a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at
the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, the user does so at his or her own risk.
THE APPLICATION OF 3D-PRINTING AND TISSUE ENGINEERING TO
MANUFACTURE SKIN GRAFTS FOR BURN VICTIMS
Carolyn Cole, cec90@pitt.edu, Mahboobin 4:00, Hannah Meyer, email, Bursic 2:00
Revised Proposal – The 3D printing of skin cells is a recent
technology that allows for a less invasive procedure of skin
grafting, which is particularly beneficial to patients like burn
victims, that have limited skin surface area from which skin
grafts can be taken. In broad terms, a 3D printer is able to
weave a complex matrix of cells that forms a similar structure
to human skin. Lucas Mearian, in a Computer World article
on a Toronto research team’s bio printing notes, “the
machine can also produce hair follicles, sweat glands and
other skin complexities” [1]. The printers can create a
functioning piece of “skin” with great accuracy and
precision, which can be used in place of a skin graft that
would normally have to be surgically removed from
elsewhere on the body.
As this technology is still in the elementary stages, there is
a heavy research component. Included in this paper will be
the methods of 3D printing tissues that have led to the
successful creations of skin grafts, with a focus on the specific
materials used by the printer, their sustainability and methods
of implementation. The materials and methods used allow the
grafts to be extremely personalized. According to Virginia
Harrison, a Lux Research team technology representative
notes, “in the syringe format it would be possible to create
different skin types… [for example] you can create sensitive
skin or man’s skin” [2]. This possibility would allow for the
3D printed graft results to not only be biologically accurate,
but also cosmetically and aesthetically natural looking.
A comparison of real skin to artificially constructed skin
will be made, with a special focus on the significance of
fibroblasts and keratinocytes in the formation of the dermal
matrix and their role in the wound healing process. The goal
is to analyze the structural differences and similarities that
could lead to potential problems in application, such as the
body rejecting the artificial graft, or complication in healing
and infection.
As the use of 3D printers becomes more prevalent in
society, specifically the medical field, the process and
delivery of bio printing skin for skin grafts will become more
efficient, cost effective and safer for patients. This technology
will lead to 3D printed skin grafts becoming more widely
available, and eventually the ability to print larger and more
complex organs. This paper will discuss and compare the
benefits, risks, structure and costs of bio printed skin grafts
made of fibroblasts and keratinocytes with the current method
University of Pittsburgh Swason School of Engineering
2016/01/29
of skin grafting, using both qualitative data and statistics from
various articles and scientific journal.
REFERENCES
[1] L. Mearian. (2014). "3D Printed Skin Holds Promise for
Burn Victims and Others." Computer World. (online article).
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2688824/3d-printedskin-holds-promise-for-burn-victimsandothers.html
[2] V. Harrison. (2015). "3-D Printers Could Soon Make
Human
Skin."
CNN
Money.
(online
article).
http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/17/technology/3dbioprinting-skin/
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
S. Dodds. (2015). “3D Printing Raises Ethical Issues in
Medicine”
ABC
Science
(online
article)
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2015/02/11/4161675.
htm
This article, reported by a popular Australian news
channel, calls into question the ethics that could be breached
when 3D printers produce live organs. The main concepts the
author includes; the access to health care, testing for safety,
and whether these technologies should be used to enhance the
capacity of individuals beyond natural means. This article will
add depth and clarify the ethics behind 3D printing in our
paper.
M. Ferguson, A. Metcalfe. (2007). “Bioengineering Skin
Using Mechanisms of Regeneration and Repair” Biomaterials
v.28,
p
5100-5113
(Journal)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S01429612
07005601
This peer-reviewed journal article reviews the possibilities
3D printed skin holds for treating acute and chronic wounds.
This includes discussing the possibility of replacing the “gold
standard” skin graft with a 3D printed skin graft by going into
details of how this procedure would take place. This article
will help us consider the clinical developments in skin
bioengineering, as well as examining the next generation of
skin therapy.
1
Carolyn Cole
Hannah Meyer
V. Harrison. (2015). "3-D Printers Could Soon Make Human
Skin."
CNN
Money.
(online
article).
http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/17/technology/3dbioprinting-skin/
This concise article, from a renowned news company,
discusses the eminent mass production of synthetically
manufactured skin. The major points concern a technique for
3-D printing that utilizes a syringe to ensure the skin produced
can contain certain attributes, like sensitivity and tone. This
article will assist us in looking at the different types of
bioprinters that could be manufactured and how they might
lead to more effective production.
technique of bioprinting.
Y. Loo, et al. (2015). “Peptide Bioink: Self-Assembling
Nanofibrous Scaffolds for Three-Dimensional Organoptypic
Cultures.” Nano Letters, American Chemical Society. (online
journal).
http://www.engineeringvillage.com/search/doc/abstract.url?p
ageType=quickSearch&searchtype=Quick&SEARCHID=52
9bc90aM48deM405fMa4a6Mbe900769b218&DOCINDEX
=11&database=1&format=quickSearchAbstractFormat&ded
upResultCount=&SEARCHID=529bc90aM48deM405fMa4
a6Mbe900769b218
This article, published by the well reputed American
Chemical Society, describes a self-assembling scaffold that
the skin can be printed onto. It focuses on the particularly
robust hydrogels the scaffolding is composed of, which still
allow for the biomaterials to separate into the organotypic
structure of skin. This information will allow us to further
detail the construction of skin, and elaborate on how a graft
can be implied and utilized.
L. Koch, et al. (2012). “Skin Tissue Generation by Laser Cell
Printing” Biotechnology and Bioengineering v. 109, p 18551863
(Journal)
http://www.engineeringvillage.com/search/doc/abstract.url?p
ageType=quickSearch&searchtype=Quick&SEARCHID=6d
29021cM5f58M4792Ma8a0Med334ecb7fea&DOCINDEX=
15&database=3&format=quickSearchAbstractFormat&dedu
pResultCount=&SEARCHID=6d29021cM5f58M4792Ma8a
0Med334ecb7fea
The focus in this peer-reviewed journal article is to study
the cell functions and tissue formation process of 3D printed
skin. The article goes further into detail discussing the use of
keratinocytes and fibroblasts to print simple examples of skin
tissue to show how skin is undamaged through the printing
procedure. This will give our paper a more in depth view of
how the cells are aligned in printing.
L. Mearian. (2014). "3D Printed Skin Holds Promise for Burn
Victims and Others." Computer World. (online article).
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2688824/3d-printedskin-holds-promise-for-burn-victimsandothers.html
This article, from a news company specializing in
technology advancements, specifies the mechanisms of largescale printing engineered tissues via the PrintAlive
Bioprinter. It describes the significance of using the patient’s
cells to prevent immunologic rejection and details the ability
to create hair follicles and sweat glands. This article will help
to elaborate on the techniques used to create skin complexities
and clarify the complications that arise when using
engineered cells.
V. Lee, et al. (2014). “Design and Fabrication of Human Skin
by 3D Bioprinting.” Tissue Engineering Part C – Methods.
(online
journal).
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/ten.tec.2013.03
35
This article, from the 320th publication of a professional
journal, describes at length, the preliminary studies done with
3D printed skin. There is a specific focus on the cell vitality,
density, shape and form retention, reproducibility and
implications, including but not limited to autonomous
grafting for wounds. This article will help solidify our
explanation of the role of collagen and allow us to further
explore complications that arose in research.
W. Lee. (2009). "Multi-Layered Culture of Human Skin
Fibroblasts and Keratinocytes through Three Dimensional
Freeform Fabrication." US National Library of Medicine.
(online
journal).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19108884
This article, from an international journal covering the
science and clinical applications of biomaterials, details the
ability to print and culture cell composites directly onto a burn
wound. It focuses on the use of fibroblasts and keratinocytes
in a hydrogen precursor to mimic distinctive skin layers. The
specifics in this article will help justify and explain the
biomaterials involved, as well as providing a different
2