3D Bioprinting and Its Role in a Wound Healing Renaissance

3D printing (3DP) is an accessible platform being increasingly utilized by independent researchers in fields ranging from industrial manufacturing to medicine. 3D bioprinting is a form of 3D printing that makes use of "bioinks," organic or synthetic polymer formulations that are often laden with cells. The wide range of materials available means that bioinks can be tailored to the types of tissue that they are meant to emulate. Human skin has a complex microenvironment consisting of numerous layers, cell types, growth factors, and molecular signaling pathways. 3D bioprinting's flexibility and ability to create complex, bioactive structures means that it has great potential in creating artificial skin constructs for skin wound regeneration. While the available materials and cell types for 3DP are large, an ideal bioink for printing artificial skin remains yet to be found. This review will cover the various types of 3DP, the bioinks commonly used, the functionalization of printed artificial skin constructs, challenges that arise in the 3D bioprinting of skin, and future directions for the field. The structure of skin and the wound healing process will also be discussed, as sufficient understanding of these subjects is key to the development of therapeutic artificial skin constructs.