Bioprinting Skin with Hair Follicles

In that part of the tissue engineering community concerned with trying to reproduce natural skin structure, as best as possible with present technology, bioprinting is currently largely used for research and development rather than directly in clinical application as a regenerative therapy. For example, skin models are used in the screening and testing of topical therapies, and greater fidelity with natural skin gives more relevant information. Skin is a complex structure, in which cells associated with sweat glands and hair follicles appear to be important in coordinating growth and healing. The work noted here is an example of the state of the art in bioprinted skin; it remains to be seen as to the timeline for widespread use in the clinic. Human skin comprises three major compartments, the hypodermis, the dermis, and the epidermis, each representing a rich cellular and biomolecular diversity. The skin also contains adnexal structures, such as the pilosebaceous unit, which is formed by the hair follicle and sebaceous gland. The pilosebaceous unit is further connected to the sweat apocrine gland, the arrector pili muscle, the underlying vasculature and is in contact with nerve cells. This complex structure is formed by about 15 types of cells distributed in concentric layers of cells of epithelial and mesenchymal origins. Through life, different skin stem cell populations support the cyclic regeneration of the hair follicle and sebaceous gland. At the base of...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs