Sunnybrook and U of T develop handheld 3D skin printer
Sunnybrook and University of Toronto researchers have developed a handheld 3D skin printer that deposits even layers of skin tissue to cover and heal deep wounds. The team believes it to be the first device that forms tissue in situ, depositing and setting in place, within two minutes or less.
The research, led by University of Toronto PhD student Navid Hakimi under the supervision of Associate Professor Axel Guenther of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, and in collaboration with Dr. Marc Jeschke, director of the Ross Tilley Burn Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and professor of immunology at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, was recently published in the journal Lab on a Chip.
“This project demonstrates what collaboration between engineering, biology, and physician can achieve and that can have profound clinical impact,” says Dr. Jeschke.
“This handheld device is a significant improvement from prior printers. Now, it will be tested in vivo settings to determine whether it can make its way into the clinical arena.”