3D Co-print of Epoxy Resin with Cell-laden Bioink for Custom Shaped Nipple-Areola Skin Grafts

摘要

In an effort to create a 3D printed nipple-areola skin graft, we endeavor to create both a permanent and degradable hybrid scaffold and to show the cellular response to these hybrid materials. The results indicate that the low-pressure extrusion of cell laden bioink with varying internal print patterns allowed for living hdFB populations. Further, the incorporation of DYMAX did not inhibit cellular growth or health, revealing the potential of this material to act as a backbone for complexly-shaped scaffolds. We are in the process to 3D print a full nipple-areola complex (Figure C) with hdFB, DYMAX, and primary human keratinocytes in hopes to regenerate a full skin graft in the desired shape. This regenerative implant is envisioned to be applied to patients who have undergone mastectomy and continuing with breast reconstructive surgery. These scaffolds can further be patient-specific due to the ease of 3D printing practices, and thus can be tailored to any breast size. The concept of this design can be applied to other tissue engineering applications to provide both a mechanical and biological support.