Fig. 3

A schematic representation of the 3D bioprinting of engineered skin tissue. Cells are isolated from the patient’s biopsy and cultured in vitro to reach sufficient numbers. Isolated fibroblasts can also be re-programmed into iPSCs, which can subsequently be differentiated into the desired cell types and amounts within a shorter period of time. Bio-inks usually comprise of live cells encapsulated by a biopolymer material which acts as a scaffold. Using 3D technology, skin tissues are bio-printed in a conformationally defined manner and allowed to mature before implanting the tissue onto the patient