Advances in the Development of Tissue Engineering Applied to the Skin Using Three-Dimensional Bioprinters for the Treatment of Burn Patients

Abstract

The concept of three-dimensional printing was developed in 1980, and the idea of three-dimensional printing to manufacture objects was established in 1986. In 1993, the technology allowed the printing of plastics and metals, with a series of three-dimensional printers having different applications being subsequently developed. In 2002, Italian researchers developed the dermal regeneration matrix (hyalomatrix) with hyaluronic acid and silastic fibers, mimicking the epidermis. In 2003, Mexican researchers developed an allogeneic keratinocyte culture as a system for the release of growth factors in skin lesions. Over the past 10 years, 15 matrices of dermal regeneration have been developed. This technology has had a great impact on engineering and medicine. In medicine, an important application is tissue engineering, not only for the manufacturing of skin and grafting but also for conducting scientific investigations on the evaluation and discovery of drugs. The use of bioprinting of tissues can allow a layer-by-layer aggregation of cells to be obtained, allowing organization of multiple cell types in a desired structure. After in vitro cell culture, allowing respective growth and maturation to achieve the desired tissue, tissue implantation can then be performed. The three-dimensional bioprinting technique can improve both spatial resolution and reproducibility, allowing optimal conditions for cell incubation and maturation. In addition, with a limited supply of donors, bio-fabrication of organs and tissues can help with future transplant procedures.