Key points from article :
A novel biomaterial that can be used to create artificial skin capable of mimicking the behavior of natural human tissues.
The team’s biohybrid composite is collagen mixed with a ‘zwitterionic’ hydrogel.
“We want to create something for regenerative medicine purposes, such as a piece of scaffold ... tissue fully regenerates,” said Nikolaos Bouklas, co-lead author.
Mixing collagen with the material, which contains both positively and negatively charged molecular groups, could allow it to withstand multiple impacts while supporting cellular growth.
Away from wound-healing applications, 3D printing has also been used to enable the creation of tissues for skincare product R&D.
3D bioprinted tissues for drug testing applications, which could serve as an alternative to testing on animals.
The study was published in the National Academy of Sciences and carried out at Cornell University.
