Replicating a crucial component of blood using 3D printers may aid wound healing, a new study by the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences suggests.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a natural healing substance in our blood. The study explored ways of enhancing the wound healing process by extracting PRP from the blood of a patient with a complex skin wound and then manipulating it through 3D printing to form an implant for tissue repair. This can be used to treat difficult-to-heal skin wounds in a single surgical procedure.

The results showed that application of the 3D-printed PRP implant helped to speed up the healing of the wound by enabling efficient vascularisation (development of new blood vessels) and inhibiting fibrosis (scarring/thickening of tissue). Both of these are essential for effective wound healing.

The study was led by researchers at the Tissue Engineering Research Group (TERG) and SFI AMBER Centre based at the RCSI’s Department of Anatomy and Regenerative Medicine.

“Existing literature suggests that while the PRP already present in our blood helps to heal wounds, scarring can still occur. By 3D-printing PRP into a biomaterial scaffold, we can increase the formation of blood vessels while also avoiding the formation of scars, leading to more successful wound healing,” explained RCSI professor of bioengineering and regenerative medicine, Prof Fergal O’Brien.

He added that as well as the study producing promising results for skin wound healing, “this technology can potentially be used to regenerate different tissues, therefore dramatically influencing the ever-growing regenerative medicine, 3D printing and personalised medicine markets”.

The findings are published in the journal, Advanced Functional Materials, and can be viewed here.