ABSTRACT
Human skin is one of the earliest examples of an engineered tissue developed for efficacy studies in topical and transdermal formulation design, as well as a graft organ translated to clinical use in regenerative medicine. Almost four decades since the demonstration of the first living equivalent model, the typical human skin tissue developed in the laboratory remains rather simple representing only the minimally sufficient anatomical, biological, and physiological attributes. Engineering of more complex models of skin that are closer in representation to the native tissue is vital for drug and formulation screening, as well as superior clinical modalities for treatment of wounds and burns. The precise spatial and geometric resolution afforded by 3D-printing platforms in organizing cells, scaffolds, and matrix molecules in a biologically relevant context can potentially address this challenge. Here, we present an overview of recent advances in 3D-printing technology that can facilitate the precise engineering of skin tissue architecture as well as recapitulate the biological, chemical, and physical complexity of the matrix microenvironment. We anticipate that, in the next decade, these collective advances will lead to the development of skin tissues that are significantly more sophisticated and clinically relevant compared to contemporary models.
