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."

The device is cheap, but the cartridges ...

[PolygamousRanchKid]

... will bankrupt you.

Re:The device is cheap, but the cartridges ...

[caffeinemessiah]

Did anyone think about the poor sod whose job it was to burn the mice? I mean, it's difficult to catch mice that have just unsuccessfully rushed into burning buildings, or set themselves on fire by accident.

Then again, I know a guy who works in tissue engineering whose job is to "harvest" mice, as he calls it. Keeps their heads in a jar above his desk. Apparently, they bob around all day with a smiling expression.

You have to get your hands dirty for a lot of science...

Your fibroblasts cartridge is low...

[falken0905]

Your fibroblasts cartridge is low. Would you like to connect to the HP Medical Printing website to order refills?

Re:interesting concept

[LostAlaska]

Yeah, it would be a little disconcerting if during the meeting where they were trying to figure out an impartial way to decide who gets that job of burning the mice and the new lab tech jumps up furiously waving his hands saying "oh, me, me, choose me, pretty pretty please, choose me!" If that ever does happen I'd have a 2 part questionnaire for him to fill out. Question 1, do you like horribly violent movies like Saw or Hostel? (Y or N) Question 2, do you like musicals? (Y or N) if he says yes to both... serial killer. thank you venn diagrams.

Re:The device is cheap, but the cartridges ...

[jameskojiro]

I know this one "person" who has to make sure their subject gets through a maze using a specilized tool. They motivate the subject by offering a tasty morsel and the subject usuallu complies. The subject sometimes breaks out of the maze right before they terminate the subject in a temprature controlled sterilization procedure. It is a pain because they have to plan an event to make the subject think that they succeeded in escaping, when in fact they didn't.

There is a lot of mess when it comes to making sure the Science gets done.

Re:The device is cheap, but the cartridges ...

[Dunbal]

Er, so what does your programmer buddy who works on the WGA team at Microsoft have to do with this discussion?

Re:interesting concept

[Anonymous Coward]

All in the name of science! [theonion.com]

Re:At last...

[JavaBasedOS]

Surgeon General's Warning: Prolonged exposure to this spray may result in one's skin gaining a metallic blue or red sheen. Yellowing of the eyes may occur.

Re:The device is cheap, but the cartridges ...

[QRDeNameland]

That's where the Chinese cartridge comes in...

Sure, if you want skin with melamine [wikipedia.org] in place of melanin [wikipedia.org].

Re:Act now and we'll throw in for free...

[Anonymous Coward]

Why doesn't this article have a "Darkman" tag?

Re:Act now and we'll throw in for free...

[complete loony]

"My face burned off and all I got was this stupid tatoo"?