Tomorrow’s Cure (Mayo Clinic):

3D Bioprinted Skin: Breakthroughs in Regenerative Medicine

Episode Date: January 21, 2026
Host: Kathy Werzer
Guests: Dr. Sarenya Wiles (Dermatology, Mayo Clinic), Dr. Adam Feinberg (Regenerative Biomaterials, Carnegie Mellon)

Episode Overview

This episode spotlights the rapidly evolving field of 3D bioprinted skin, where science fiction becomes biomedical reality. Researchers at the intersection of medicine and engineering are using human cells and natural scaffolds—rather than plastics or metals—to create living skin models. These advancements offer hope for more personalized treatments for burns, wounds, chronic skin diseases, and even rare disorders, while also promising to reshape drug testing and ethical standards in medicine.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Understanding “Skin Span” and the Importance of Skin Health

• Skin as a Health Mirror: Dr. Wiles emphasizes that skin reflects both systemic well-being and aging processes beyond the cosmetic. Skin is more than just an organ—it acts as a frontline health indicator and barrier (03:16).

  • Quote: “I consider the skin as a mirror to your systemic health… It can impact a lot of ways that our systemic aging is occurring.” — Dr. Sarenya Wiles [03:16]

• “Skin Span” Concept: Mirroring “lifespan” and “health span,” Dr. Wiles introduces “skin span”—the duration of optimally functioning skin, crucial for thermoregulation, infection resistance, and overall vitality (02:31).

2. 3D Bioprinting: How Does It Work and Why Is It Game-Changing?

• The “Cake Layers” Approach: Skin is printed in layers—epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis—using human-derived cells and proteins, especially collagen, for authenticity and compatibility (06:59, 08:44, 09:58).
  • Quote: “We want to create a system that is an alternate to animal testing… It took about a year to get the model sorted out, but it’s still a work in progress.” — Dr. Sarenya Wiles [08:51]
• Collagen as a Scaffold: Dr. Feinberg highlights collagen’s pivotal role, and his lab’s breakthrough in printing collagen at nanoscale fidelity, enabling true tissue mimicry (09:58).
  • Quote: “We can 3D print collagen that, under the best electron microscopes… still looks like collagen should. Which means… the body actually recognizes it as normal collagen.” — Dr. Adam Feinberg [09:58]

3. Expanded Applications: Moving Beyond Burn Treatment

• Reducing Animal Testing: Bioprinted skins are revolutionizing preclinical drug testing, providing more human-relevant, ethical, and potentially inclusive models (08:51, 23:38).
• Combat & Trauma Use-Cases: Dr. Feinberg’s work includes reconstructing complex tissue losses (e.g., blast injuries) using patient-specific imaging and bioprinting (15:31).
  • Quote: “Say you have a leg blast injury… we’ve actually created three-dimensional designs that fill that space… we have tested that in animals and it’s quite compelling.” — Dr. Adam Feinberg [15:31]
• Wound Healing, Rare Diseases & Personalized Patches: Aim to create wound patches, rare disease models, or even tissue transplants tailored to individual cellular makeup (14:36, 27:40).

4. Tackling Aging and “Zombie Cells”

• Senescence and Chronic Wounds: Dr. Wiles researches “zombie” (senescent) skin cells—cells that stop dividing but don’t die—which drive both skin aging and systemic inflammation (17:39, 20:25).
  • Quote: “Zombie cells… are no longer dividing, but they don’t die off… Over time… we don’t clear these cells as well… These zombie cells or senescent cells can accumulate.” — Dr. Sarenya Wiles [17:39]
• Personalized Bioinks: By sourcing cells from patients of different ages and conditions, the team creates bespoke bioprint models that reflect unique disease environments (19:21).

5. Model Validation, Complexity & Limitations

• Validation Hurdles: Stringent reproducibility, accuracy, and validation against human pathology are costly but essential; models are reviewed by dermatopathologists and analyzed for functional skin behavior (23:38).
• FDA and Regulatory Evolution: There is strong regulatory interest in transitioning from animal to engineered tissue models, but variability in human biology poses ongoing challenges (24:44).
  • Quote: “Animal models… have brought us to this point of medical advance. But at the end of the day, an animal has a different physiology than a human… that’s the value and potential of the models.” — Dr. Adam Feinberg [24:44]

6. Ethical and Societal Impact

• Inclusivity in Trials: Bioprinting enables models across a spectrum of skin types and rare diseases—addressing gaps in clinical trial diversity and pushing diagnosis and care equity (26:20).
  • Quote: “Clinical trials are not as inclusive… The cost is a lot more reasonable… Now we’re opening up new ways to study rare diseases.” — Dr. Sarenya Wiles [26:20]
• Rare Diseases as a Major Target: Dr. Feinberg underscores the collective impact of rare conditions and how these models could democratize healthcare innovation (27:40).

7. Democratizing Technology: Accessibility & Collaboration

• Open Source & Workshops: Dr. Feinberg’s lab pioneered accessible bioprinters (~$1000 or less), running workshops to train researchers (including Dr. Wiles) and expanding the technology beyond elite labs (30:53).
  • Quote: “Let’s create a workshop where you can come to Carnegie Mellon, build your own 3D bioprinter and then take it back with you… We have, like, a really cheap version for more K through 12 education.” — Dr. Adam Feinberg [30:53]
• Interdisciplinary Magic: Both guests highlight the synergy that occurs when clinicians and engineers work side-by-side, rapidly targeting unmet patient needs (34:39).

8. Barriers to Clinical Adoption and What Lies Ahead

• Key Hurdles: Top challenges are rigorous problem identification, regulatory pathways, proof of efficacy/safety (“getting wins on the board”), and large-scale manufacturing (35:39, 36:22, 38:21).
• Industry Parallels: There is much to learn from scale-up processes in the auto and software industries for bringing bioprinted solutions to patients at scale (38:21).
  • Quote: “Once we establish the 3D bioprinted protocol… then we would need to think about scaling the manufacturing and… learn from building cars and airplanes.” — Dr. Sarenya Wiles [38:21]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the philosophical leap:
  “We will get there. I have no doubt that this technology is coming… If we can start to replace organs, we’ve fundamentally shifted human lifespan, human quality of life.”
  — Dr. Adam Feinberg [41:06]
• The clinician’s perspective:
  “Patients have to wear their skin disease… it’s hard to see the influence that these skin conditions have on patients’ mental health. And this is a really big driving factor for me.”
  — Dr. Sarenya Wiles [41:06]
• On collaboration:
  “There is something magical that happens when engineers and physicians meet in a room because we have a lot of the problems and unanswered questions…”
  — Dr. Sarenya Wiles [34:39]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:31] – Skin span: Linking skin health and longevity.
• [04:01] – What is 3D bioprinting for skin, and why is it needed?
• [06:59] – Cake layer approach and native cell-based printing.
• [08:51] – Guest labs’ current use cases and motivation for developing bioprinted skin.
• [09:58] – Collagen breakthroughs; building real tissue with nanoscale precision.
• [14:36] – Applications in burns, chronic wounds, genetic disorders.
• [15:31] – Military and trauma cases; patient-specific tissue reconstruction.
• [17:39] – “Zombie”/senescent cells and their wide-ranging impacts.
• [23:38] – Model validation, regulatory trajectory, analytical complexity.
• [26:20] – Ethics, inclusivity, rare diseases, and lowering costs.
• [30:53] – Democratizing technology: affordable, open-source bioprinters.
• [34:39] – Science-clinician collaboration and inspiration.
• [35:39] – Barriers to clinical adoption and need for focused problem solving.
• [38:21] – The road to larger-scale rollout and industrial parallels.
• [41:06] – What personally drives Drs. Feinberg and Wiles forward.

Conclusion/Takeaways

• Bioprinted skin is moving rapidly from concept to impactful laboratory and clinical tools, with the potential to personalize medicine, cut animal testing, and empower underserved patients.
• Major takeaways include the role of accessible tech, the importance of interdisciplinary teams, and the need for rigorous validation, inclusivity, and focused resource investment.
• Wide-reaching impact: This technology could redefine organ replacement, heal chronic wounds, advance pharmaceutical safety/testing, and improve lives for millions of patients worldwide.