The Challenge of Bioengineered Artificial Skin

Severe burns can cause significant damage to the skin and underlying tissues. For patients who have suffered full thickness burns over a large surface area of their body, finding sufficient donor skin for transplantation can be extremely challenging. Leaving burns uncovered for an extended period of time also leaves patients vulnerable to infection and fluid loss. This prolonged healing time often leads to long hospital stays and decreased quality of life for burn victims. The shortage of available donor skin has driven the need to develop bioengineered skin substitutes that can be more widely used for those with massive burns.

Developing Bioengineered Artificial Skin

Over the past few decades, scientists have made progress in developing artificial skin that aims to imitate the structure and function of natural skin. Early skin substitutes acted mainly as wound coverings to prevent fluid loss and infection. However, the goal of modern bioengineered skin is to go beyond temporary wound coverage and promote true Bioengineered Artificial Skin regeneration. This involves culturing skin cells like keratinocytes and fibroblasts onto various biodegradable scaffolds made from materials like collagen or silk. The scaffolds provide a framework for new tissue growth while degrading over time to be replaced by native skin cells. Other components like vascular cells can also be incorporated to encourage blood vessel formation.

Factors like scaffold composition, thickness, mechanical properties, degradation rate, and inclusion of multiple cell types impact how well the engineered skin integrates and regenerates long-term skin. Tests in animal models have provided valuable insights into which design factors best support skin reconstruction and healing. Some bioengineered skin substitutes are now commercially available and approved for use in humans, offering safer and more effective treatment options than earlier skin substitutes. Continued refinement of scaffold materials, cell sources, differentiation factors, and manufacturing techniques aim to develop skin constructs that more closely mimic the structure and functionality of naturally healed skin.

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