Inkjet-Inspired Gadget 'Prints' New Skin Cells Over Burns

Researchers at Wake Forest University have rigged up a device that can spray new skin cells onto burn victims. Really.

Inspired by the standard inkjet printer, according to Reuters, the device quickly protects and helps heal a burn wound. The procedure could supplant skin grafts as the standard treatment for burn victims. The researchers have mounted the device on a frame so that it can be wheeled directly over a patient in a hospital bed. A laser takes a reading of the wound's shape and size, so that the precise amount of skin cells can be applied exactly where they're needed.

"We literally print the cells directly onto the wound," said student Kyle Binder, who helped design the device. "We can put specific cells where they need to go."

The researchers have tested the system on mice, and the results showed the spray system, called bioprinting, healed wounds quickly and safely. Mice who received the treatment had closed wounds in two weeks, while those that weren't treated took five weeks to achieve the same level of healing, according to Binder.

The team will eventually seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to test the device on humans, said George Christ, a professor of regenerative medicine at the school. The researchers are working with the U.S. Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine to develop ways to help soldiers wounded in action, as the skin printing technology could be used to close various kinds of wounds in addition to burns.

According to various experts, victims of massive burns are susceptible to infection in the open wound, and many die within two weeks unless they can receive skin grafts, and normal grafting can be painful and leaves severe scarring. The wound on the test subjects was completely healed by the end of three weeks.

So, this new gadget has amazing, far-reaching potential to really improve the health and both short- and long-term health of burn victims. Imagine, such a device could actually "print" you new skin while you sat and watched it; a few weeks later, you'd barely be able to tell there was a wound there at all. Amazing stuff.

Reuters also has an interesting look at the science behind the technology -- the sprayed cells are "smart" enough to incorporate themselves into the surrounding skin, including hair follicles -- and a nice slideshow that showcases some of the expected functionality of such a device.

Next up for the research team: Pigs -- their skin more closely resembles human skin. Perhaps it won't be long before food isn't the wildest thing to come out of a printer.