Human skin printing research inspired by inkjet printers

Human skin printing research inspired by inkjet printers

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Feb. 21, 2011 (1:35 pm) By: Matthew Humphries

Medical research is always looking for new and simpler ways to perform complicated procedures, and sometimes they look to the world of computing technology to help solve a problem. Researchers at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine are doing just that by using inkjet technology to print skin.

If you are ever unfortunate enough to sustain an injury or burn that requires a skin graft, then chances are you need an operation to take skin from one part of your body to use on the wounded area. If you are in a hospital this can be done a

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Basically, the printer would apply the skin cells in small layers that would eventually cover the burnt or damaged area. The cartridges would be skin cells that would be applied to the skin like an inkject applies ink to a piece of paper only it would be applied in such a way that the printer doesn't need to come in direct contact with the burnt skin.

I'm hearing that up to 20% of battlefield injuries are skin burns so this could definately help out veterans coming home with those kinds of injuries.

The technology is still in the "pre-clinical" phases and will require another 5 years of development and testing before they'll be using it on humans. They're calling it a "Bio-printer".

They would basically take a skin sample, replicate it and use that material in the cartridge to cover the burnt area with fresh skin tissue.

That's just insane!

This could also lead to new technologies in which the skin cells are used with stem cells to artificially create heart cells, for example. If that were the case, they could technically take a 3D image of your heart and produce artificial organs based on your own DNA (meaning the organs would always be accepted by your body).

Researchers are now discovering how to turn skin cells into beating heart cells..

Researchers Turn Skin Cells Into Beating Heart Cells (video)

-ChriS


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WoW This is one of those threads that I wish I could erase from memory.......Who in their "right" mind would allow their skin to be burned off and replaced by some freaky little skin pieces that comes from where?

If this is something your interested in then by all means go for it........but I am quite attached my skin thank you

reply to post by iLoGiCViZiOnS


Think you are missing the point here....

If you get f.ex a 3rd degree burn they would be able to "print" new skin on the burn istead of the rather complicated task of transplanting it there.

add: OP s&f pure star trek

This is fantastic ! This will go right along with those crazy fellas who have been working on developing a method of "printing" entire organs using three dimensional printers, and another group who claimed they had discovered a great way of making synthetic bone replacements.

Heres a link to the organ printer:
www.economist.com...

And here to the synthetic bone page :
www.sciencedaily.com...

This is very cool, odd and little sci-fi creepy... but cool.

Check out the skin gun. I saw this on a Nat Geo show and found this Gizmodo link. It's pretty stunning stuff.

SKIN GUN!

Obs out

Originally posted by observer
This is very cool, odd and little sci-fi creepy... but cool.

Check out the skin gun. I saw this on a Nat Geo show and found this Gizmodo link. It's pretty stunning stuff.

SKIN GUN!

Obs out

Video is blocked for UK users due to copyright issues. What a bummer , I was hoping to see that for myself.

reply to post by TrueBrit


Truebrit, try this one!