South Korean biotech startup Clecell has achieved what many tissue engineers have long sought: a reproducible, full-thickness human skin built entirely from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), using bioprinting.
Clecell’s advances are outlined in two new peer-reviewed publications, one in Bioprinting and another in PLOS ONE. They describe how its proprietary droplet-based bioprinting platform NOVO produces what it calls CLE-iFTs, or Clecell iPSC-derived full-thickness skin models. The work remains at the in vitro stage, having been validated for structure, cell health, and barrier function, but has not yet been tested in animals or humans.
For now, the company frames the model as a research and testing platform for cosmetics, drug screening, and toxicity studies, with future potential for regenerative uses such as burn and wound repair. That said, the achievement marks a clear step toward turning the fusion of bioprinting and regenerative medicine into an industry, not just an experiment.
Clecell’s droplet-based NOVO system prints full-thickness skin using iPSC-derived fibroblasts and keratinocytes. Image courtesy of “Development of iPSC-derived Full-thickness Human Skin via Droplet-based 3D Bioprinting,” Bioprinting, Elsevier/Clecell.
From Stem Cells to Standardization
Most artificial skin models today are made from donor-derived fibroblasts and keratinocytes that are manually layered or grown on scaffolds, a process that requires extensive manual work and ultimately slows research, making consistency difficult to achieve and scaling it up challenging. What’s more, these traditional models often vary in quality depending on the cell source and technique, limiting their use in standardized testing or large-scale production.
Clecell’s models go in an entirely different way: it uses iPSCs, which are cells reprogrammed from adult tissue that can multiply indefinitely and differentiate into any human cell type. In this case, they are turned into fibroblasts for the dermis and keratinocytes for the epidermis, forming a reproducible, full-thickness skin layer through 3D bioprinting, the researchers explain.
That change makes a big difference. iPSCs solve the ethical and supply problems linked to embryonic cells, which require the destruction of embryos and depend on limited donors. They also provide a constant, renewable source of cells that can be customized for individual patients or scaled for larger production.
Their work can be described as a rare example of biology and manufacturing working together, where living cells behave in a way that is predictable enough to be utilized in a controlled, repeatable process. That’s pretty unusual, according to experts, because biology is “naturally variable.” This means that cells react to even small changes in temperature, nutrients, or handling. Growing tissues under identical conditions, batch after batch, is difficult, and automation often “fights with the fragile nature of living material.” Basically, experts suggest that making biology behave like a manufacturing process is one of the hardest challenges in bioprinting.
How Clecell Prints Living Skin
At the center of Clecell’s process is its proprietary NOVO bioprinter, which combines droplet, extrusion, and nebulizer printing heads. The droplet module places cells gently and precisely, preventing the damage that can happen with high-pressure extrusion, while the extrusion head controls the flow of collagen, and the nebulizer maintains humidity with a fine mist of sodium bicarbonate. Together, these modules allow Clecell to create skin with what it describes as “accuracy and minimal cell stress.” So, the printed skin doesn’t just look like the real thing under a microscope, it acts like it too, keeping cells alive and recreating the natural connection between the dermal and epidermal layers of human skin.
NOVO bioprinter. Image courtesy of Clecell.
The researchers said that in lab tests, the printed skin showed strong biological and physical performance, paving the way for standardized tissue manufacturing, which, as we mentioned previously, is a challenge that has kept the field from scaling beyond the lab bench.
Clecell’s NOVO bioprinter uses various crosslinking methods. Image courtesy of Clecell.
Not Just for Cosmetics
For Clecell, this isn’t just about better models for skincare R&D, though that’s a short-term application. The company sees its technology as a foundation for regenerative therapeutics, from burn repair to wound healing, and even personalized skin grafts using a patient’s own iPSCs.
Clecell builds its tissues using a digital process that keeps production consistent and easy to monitor for quality. This type of control is crucial for future approval under South Korea’s Advanced Regenerative Bio Act, which oversees the development of clinical-grade engineered tissue.
Actually, Clecell’s model also provides an alternative to animal testing for pharmaceutical and cosmetic studies, aligning with ongoing EU and global bans on the use of animals in testing.
Fabrication and characterization of iPSC-derived full-thickness artificial skin using 3D bioprinting (CLE-iFTs). Image courtesy of “Development of iPSC-derived Full-thickness Human Skin via Droplet-based 3D Bioprinting,” Bioprinting, Elsevier/Clecell.
Clecell takes tissue engineering out of the lab and into a more automated process. The company’s work shows that living tissue can be printed in a controlled and repeatable way, like a product made through digital manufacturing.
According to the researchers, the CLE-iFTs model showed strong structural and functional performance in lab tests, proving that droplet-based bioprinting can reliably reproduce human-like skin. The team suggests that future work will focus on scaling the process and validating it for preclinical use, with the long-term goal of clinical evaluation under the country’s Advanced Regenerative Bio Act.
