Hair follicles 3D-printed in lab grown skin

The breakthrough by a team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, New York,  marks the first time researchers have used the technology to generate hair follicles, which play an important role in skin healing and function. The team – whose work is detailed in Science Advances – stressed that skin grafts that grow hair are still several years away.

In a statement, study lead Pankaj Karande, Ph.D. said: “Our work is a proof-of-concept that hair follicle structures can be created in a highly precise, reproducible way using 3D-bioprinting. This kind of automated process is needed to make future biomanufacturing of skin possible.

“The reconstruction of hair follicles using human-derived cells has historically been a challenge. Some studies have shown that if these cells are cultured in a three-dimensional environment, they can potentially originate new hair follicles or hair shafts, and our study builds on this work.”

Hair follicles produce sweat, helping regulate body temperature, and they contain stem cells that help skin heal. They are also an entry point for topical drugs and cosmetics, making them an important part of dermatological testing. Currently, initial safety testing is done on engineered skin tissues that lack hair follicles.