Printing New Skin: Saving Lives with Ink Jet Printers

By modifying an ink jet printer and growing skin cells from a patient's body, a U.S. Army research lab has developed an amazing treatment for severe burns: printing new skin.

Once the patient's skin cells are in a sterile ink cartridge, a computer uses a three dimensional map of the wound to guide the printing.

"The bio-printer drops each type of cell precisely where it needs to go," explains Kyle Binder, a biomedical scientist at the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine's Wake Forest lab. "The wound gets filled in and then those cells become new skin."

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[jamesstephenbrown]

If hadn't heard about this already I would have called "parody" on this, putting the cells in the actual printer cartridge... it doesn't sound realistic enough to be science fiction.

[labtvonline]

@jamesstephenbrown I know what you mean! What I like about this technology is that it DOES use these more readily-available tools. I've seen other technologies addressing this problem that require a room full of specialized equipment, which I can only assume costs millions of dollars and is too expensive and cumbersome to take to the places like disaster zones or battlefields where this kind of tool is most needed.

-Harley / LabTV

[pntmass]

Where is the science?

Science isn't just cool stuff... science is a process...

The story of the scientific nature of this idea would include things like (1) how this idea came about and how it was tested (2) what the long-term results are of "spray on skin", and (3) an explanation of the mechanisms for transition from single cells into a multi-cellular layer.

[labtvonline]

To learn more, please visit the web page for this video, where you will find further info plus links to the labs and scientists featured, so you can dig deeper into this new scientific development. Please visit our site and choose "Printing New Skin" from Season One. (website won't post to comments, but is listed on our channel).

-Harley / LabTV

[lodevijk]

You know what's the ironic part of this? Printing skin is probably gonna be cheaper than printing with the original HP ink.

[mindylinky]

If true, this could help a lot of people

[happinesson]

cannot imagine skin cells inside the ink container..this research will prevent loss of live due to sepsis secondary to burn.

[VerschiedenesArts]

@roguexz they already can do that. I had mine regrown. When I had those ear tubes as a child, they kind of disappeared and left scar tissue that damaged my hearing and ear drum. So I had surgery and they took a piece of my skin and put it in my ear and regrew it.

[roguexz]

This is definitely very interesting technology ... If this equipment can be miniaturized, we could potentially rebuild broken ear drums perhaps!

[dfgdfg888]

"Wait guys, i need to heal"

*Set up generator, Set up desktop, turn on computer, print skin cells, apply to skin.*

"Okay guys, lets go"

*shut down, disassemble desktop, turn off generator.*

[GermanTechTutorials]

omg facts blah blah blah

[chocowilliam]

I just remembered the First Aid Spray in the Resident Evil video games.

[TheAmericanChink]

cant wait to use it in mw3 xD

[QuestionableEthics]

wow this looks promising

[regardingme1]

Could this be used for vitiligo patients such as Michael Jackson?  If so, this is exciting news! Vitiligo is such an emotional dis-ease. If anyone knows the plans, let me in on it. Thanks.