Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 14, 2026
Cultivating a Three-dimensional Reconstructed Human Epidermis at a Large Scale
Published on: May 28, 2021
A new model for preclinical testing of dermal substitutes for human skin reconstruction
Fabienne Hartmann-Fritsch1, Thomas Biedermann, Erik Braziulis
1Tissue Biology Research Unit, Department of Surgery, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Background:
Currently, acellular dermal substitutes used for skin reconstruction are usually covered with split-thickness skin grafts. The goal of this study was to develop an animal model in which such dermal substitutes can be tested under standardized conditions using a bioengineered dermo-epidermal skin graft for coverage.
Methods:
Bioengineered grafts consisting of collagen type I hydrogels with incorporated human fibroblasts and human keratinocytes seeded on these gels were produced. Two different dermal substitutes, namely Matriderm(®), and an acellular collagen type I hydrogel, were applied onto full-thickness skin wounds created on the back of immuno-incompetent rats. As control, no dermal substitute was used. As coverage for the dermal substitutes either the bioengineered grafts were used, or, as controls, human split-thickness skin or neonatal rat epidermis were used. Grafts were excised 21 days post-transplantation. Histology and immunofluorescence was performed to investigate survival, epidermis formation, and vascularization of the grafts.
Results:
The bioengineered grafts survived on all tested dermal substitutes. Epidermis formation and vascularization were comparable to the controls.
Conclusion:
We could successfully use human bioengineered grafts to test different dermal substitutes. This novel model can be used to investigate newly designed dermal substitutes in detail and in a standardized way.
