EarSkin and EarCartilage—combining bioengineered human skin with bioprinted cartilage for ear reconstruction
Published by Thamarasee Jeewandara , Medical Xpress, on October 16, 2023 Schematic of the combination of EarCartilage and EarSkin. (A) EarSkin was prepared by creating a dermal layer fabricated out of human fibroblasts and human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs) in a collagen I hydrogel. Once matured, an epidermal layer of human keratinocytes and melanocytes was seeded on top of the dermal part. (B) EarCartilage was fabricated using a hyaluronan transglutaminase (HATG)–based bioink together with primary human auricular chondrocytes. Postprinting constructs can be enzymatically crosslinked using calcium-triggered enzymatic crosslinking of factor XIII (30). (C) Experimental timeline of EarCartilage and EarSkin in vivo. EarCartilage was matured for 17 weeks before implantation. EarSkin was created by combining fibroblasts and HDMECs in a collagen I hydrogel and matured for two weeks before seeding keratinocytes and melanocytes on top and culturing it for an additional