A team of researchers from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY has achieved a breakthrough in the ability to 3D bioprint living, vascularized skin tissue. The team presented the new technique for producing skin tissue with integrated blood vessels in the journal Tissue Engineering Part A.

The research project was led by Pankaj Karande, an associate professor of chemical and biological engineering and a member of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS). Karande has been working in the field of printing skin for years and believes that the technology could be game-changing in the medical industry, enabling the production of skin grafts that closely mimic natural skin.