Picture: University of Pretoria
At the University of Pretoria, a research project has emerged that tangibly advances the use of 3D bioprinting in wound care. Pharmacologist Dr. Hafiza Parkar developed a skin substitute material as part of her doctoral research that can serve as the basis for bioprinted, patient-specific skin structures. The focus is on so-called secondary-healing wounds, such as burns or chronic ulcers, that are not closed surgically.
“Creating advanced dermal substitutes that replicate human skin offers a promising solution for treating secondary intention wounds,” Dr Hafiza Parkar, a lecturer in UP’s Department of Pharmacology, says. “Current gold-standard treatments, such as skin grafts, are limited by donor availability, immune rejection, and patient comorbidities. Acellular dermal scaffolds (ADS) [cell-free skin- like structures that support healing] offer a promising alternative, where decellularisation removes cells and immunogenic components while preserving the skin’s natural extracellular matrix, reducing rejection risk. ADSs are cost-effective, and their structural integrity and versatility position them as a leading biomaterial for next- generation wound therapies.”Dr Parkar added, “3D bioprinting enables us to create customisable acellular dermal scaffolds that can be tailored to thespecific size, depth and nature of each patient’s wound, and even include their own cells. This personalised approachwill enhance the efficacy of the treatment and ensure a better fit, potentially leading to faster and more efficient healing, relieving the strain on both the healthcare system and the patient.”
At the core of the work are acellular dermal scaffolds in which skin tissue is freed of cells and immunologically relevant components through decellularization. The remaining extracellular matrix retains its mechanical structure and biological signaling properties. Acellular scaffolds could mitigate these challenges while being manufactured cost-effectively.
“This journey was never just about me,” Dr Parkar says. “It was about the people I needed to meet to reach the finish line, and the people who needed to meet me so I could be part of their journey.”
In preclinical animal models, the developed scaffolds demonstrated accelerated wound healing, both on their own and in combination with platelet-rich plasma. The results form the basis for the next development step: transferring the structures into the 3D bioprinting process. Together with researchers from forensic anthropology, work is underway to additively manufacture the scaffolds so that they can be precisely adapted to the size, depth, and geometry of individual wounds.
Her message to future researchers resonates with hard earned wisdom:
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain. And I can truly say, I danced my feet off.”
In the long term, this approach could help enable faster and more reproducible production of personalized skin substitute solutions. For translational medicine, the project demonstrates how additive manufacturing and materials research are increasingly converging.
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