Wake Forest Researchers Swap Skin Grafts For Cell Spraying

TigerWolf2 writes with this excerpt from a Reuters story carried by Yahoo: "Inspired by a standard office inkjet printer, US researchers have rigged up a device that can spray skin cells directly onto burn victims, quickly protecting and healing their wounds as an alternative to skin grafts. ... Tests on mice showed the spray system, called bioprinting, could heal wounds quickly and safely, the researchers reported at the Translational Regenerative Medicine Forum."

First developed by an Australian

[Anonymous Coward]

It's nice that the summary failed to mention the first person to achieve this was Dr Fiona Wood [wikipedia.org] from Perth.

Re:interesting concept

[icebike]

She felt no compunction about stealing US inventions to help her "invention".

"r Wood turned to the emerging US-invented technology of cultured skin to save his life, working nights in a laboratory along with scientist Marie Stoner."

Re:First developed by an Australian

[reverseengineer]

There's a lot of work being done in this area right now- with good reason; there's tremendous potential, and the advance highlighted here is more of an incremental step in a rapidly maturing field than a breakthrough. As the parent notes, Dr. Fiona Wood pioneered a spray-on cell suspension over 15 years ago. She eventually founded a company (now called Avita Medical) which has commercialized this technology. [avitamedical.com] In the last decade, it has been discovered that with minimal modification, an off-the-shelf inkjet printer can print living cells- this article is an example. [sciencedirect.com]

The story here from Wake Forest is apparently a successful test of using an inkjet to print directly on wounds using multiple cell types. The group reported these results at the Translational Regenerative Medicine Forum [regenerati...dation.org] which took place the last few days. Who else happened to be at that forum? Avita Medical, where Dr. Wood still sits on the board.

Re:Seems better in so many ways

[Red Flayer]

Just excise (er... ok, flay) the area and spray on a replacement

Finally! My true calling is found.