Baldness Treatment: New Hope in 3D Printing Technology
Scientists are now one step closer to finding a treatment for a problem that troubles many men, which is the issue of baldness.
Researchers in the United States have successfully produced hair follicles using 3D printing technology within human skin tissues for the first time.
According to the British newspaper “Daily Mail,” Pankaj Karande, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering who led the study, said, “Our work provides evidence of the possibility of creating highly precise and repeatable structures of hair follicles using 3D bioprinting technology, and this type of automated operation is essential to make future biofabrication of skin possible.” He added, “Rebuilding hair follicles using human-derived cells was a historical challenge, as some studies have shown that cultivating these cells in a three-dimensional environment can lead to the growth of new hair follicles, and our study is based on this foundation.”
The team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York aimed to develop a method for forming skin with hair follicles using 3D printing techniques at the cellular level.
They allowed samples of skin cells and follicles to divide and multiply in the lab until they had enough for printing. Then, each type was mixed with proteins and other materials to form “bio-ink.”
The skin was then printed layer by layer using an extremely thin needle, while channels were created to stabilize the hair cells.
The lifespan of these tissues currently ranges from two to three weeks, which is not sufficient for hair growth. However, researchers hope to extend this period to enable the follicle to grow fully and eventually produce hair.
