MSGID: 1:317/3 63d9eaef   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Bioengineered skin grafts that fit like a glove    
      
     Date:   
         January 31, 2023   
     Source:   
         Columbia University Irving Medical Center   
     Summary:   
         Bioengineers have developed a way to grow engineered skin in three-   
         dimensional shapes, including a seamless 'glove' of skin that   
         could be slipped onto a severely burned hand.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   If you've ever tried gift-wrapping an odd-shaped present like a teddy   
   bear, you can appreciate the challenge that surgeons face when grafting   
   artificial skin onto an injured body part. Like wrapping paper, engineered   
   skin comes in flat pieces, which can be difficult and time-consuming to   
   stitch together around an irregularly shaped body part.   
      
      
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   Bioengineers at Columbia University appear to have solved this problem   
   by devising a way to grow engineered skin in complex, three-dimensional   
   shapes, making it possible to construct, for example, a seamless "glove"   
   of skin cells that can be easily slipped onto a severely burned hand.   
      
   The researchers reported their findings in a paper published Jan. 27 in   
   Science Advances.   
      
   "Three-dimensional skin constructs that can be transplanted as 'biological   
   clothing' would have many advantages," says lead developer Hasan Erbil   
   Abaci, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology at Columbia University   
   Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. "They would dramatically   
   minimize the need for suturing, reduce the length of surgeries, and   
   improve aesthetic outcomes."  The current study also revealed that the   
   continuous 3D grafts have better mechanical and functional properties   
   than conventional, pieced-together grafts.   
      
   3D scaffolding The process of creating the new skin grafts begins with   
   a 3D laser scan of the target structure, such as a human hand. Next,   
   a hollow, permeable model of the hand is crafted using computer-aided   
   design and 3D printing. The exterior of the model is then seeded with skin   
   fibroblasts, which generate the skin's connective tissue, and collagen   
   (a structural protein). Finally, the outside of the mold is coated   
   with a mixture of keratinocytes (cells that comprise most of the outer   
   skin layer, or epidermis) and the inside is perfused with growth media,   
   which support and nourish the developing graft.   
      
   Except for the 3D scaffold, the researchers employed the same procedures   
   used to make flat engineered skin and the entire process took the same   
   time, about three weeks.   
      
   In a first test of the 3D engineered skin, constructs composed of   
   human skin cells were successfully grafted onto the hind limbs of   
   mice. "It was like putting a pair of shorts on the mice," Abaci says,   
   "The entire surgery took about 10 minutes." Four weeks later, the grafts   
   had completely integrated with the surrounding mouse skin, and the mice   
   reacquired full functions of the limb.   
      
   Mouse skin heals differently than human skin, so the researchers next plan   
   to test the grafts on larger animals with skin biology that more closely   
   matches that of humans. Clinical trials on humans are likely years away.   
      
   Redesigning engineered skin The 3D grafts are the first major re-design   
   of engineered skin grafts since they were first introduced in the early   
   1980s. "Engineered skin started with only two cell types, but human skin   
   has around 50 types of cells. Most research had focused on mimicking   
   the cellular components of human skin," Abaci says.   
      
   "As a bioengineer, it's always bothered me that the skin's geometry was   
   overlooked and grafts have been made with open boundaries, or edges. We   
   know from bioengineering other organs that geometry is an important factor   
   that affects function."  Abaci and his team realized they could make   
   more lifelike grafts when 3D printers became available and could create   
   three-dimensional scaffolds necessary for making the engineered skin.   
      
   "We hypothesized that a 3D fully enclosed shape would more closely   
   mimic our natural skin and be stronger mechanically, and that's what we   
   found," Abaci says. "Simply remaining faithful to the continuous geometry   
   of human skin significantly improves the composition, structure, and   
   strength of the graft."  In the future, Abaci envisions grafts could be   
   custom-made from a patient's own cells. With only a 4X4 mm skin sample,   
   enough cells can be cultured and multiplied to create enough skin to   
   cover a human hand.   
      
   "Another compelling use would be face transplants, where our wearable   
   skin would be integrated with underlying tissues like cartilage, muscle,   
   and bone, offering patients a personalized alternative to cadaver   
   transplants," Abaci says.   
      
   The research was funded by a grant from the National Institute   
   of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (5K01AR072131)   
   and the epiCURE Center at Columbia University Irving Medical Center   
   (5P30AR069632).   
      
   Dr. Abaci has a pending patent application on this technology.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Health_&_Medicine   
                   # Skin_Care # Psoriasis # Cosmetic_Surgery # Skin_Cancer   
             o Matter_&_Energy   
                   # Engineering # Biochemistry #   
                   Engineering_and_Construction # Organic_Chemistry   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Psoriasis o Human_skin_color o Skin_grafting o Acne o Eczema   
             o Scabies o Rash o Itch   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   Columbia_University_Irving_Medical_Center. Note: Content may be edited   
   for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Alberto Pappalardo, David Alvarez Cespedes, Shuyang Fang, Abigail R.   
      
         Herschman, Eun Young Jeon, Kristin M. Myers, Jeffrey W. Kysar,   
         Hasan Erbil Abaci. Engineering edgeless human skin with enhanced   
         biomechanical properties. Science Advances, 2023; 9 (4) DOI:   
         10.1126/sciadv.ade2514   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230131160546.htm   
      
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