New 3d-printing technology from the research labs of Wake Forest University hopes to speed up the healing process for burn victims and patients with severe skin wounds. This modified printer is designed to measure and map the geography of the injury and then “print” the correct types of skin cells in layers at the correct depths of the wound. One major advantage of this procedure is that physicians only need to secure healthy skin from the patient that is about one-tenth the size of the actual wound.

Successful experiments have been conducted on both pigs and mice. The research team is currently awaiting FDA approval for human trials.

Click here to read the article published in Wake Forest’s research catalog.