Professor, doctoral supervisor, Shanghai Oriental Talent, Wuxi Taihu Talent, deputy director of the Shanghai University Branch Center of the National Science Center for Translational Medicine (Shanghai), and executive director of the Shanghai University Biomanufacturing Research Institute.  He has long been committed to research in the fields of biomanufacturing and bioadditive manufacturing, flexible functional devices and smart wearable technology.  He has been a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan in the United States and the University of Toronto in Canada;  he has chaired the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology’s key R&D program, and the Military Commission’s Science and Technology He has commissioned more than ten projects, published more than 80 important academic papers, obtained more than 40 invention patent authorizations, realized 7 patent transformations, and won the special prize in the university exhibition area of the 20th International Industrial Expo,  and the 20th China International High-tech Achievements Exchange.  It has received awards such as the Society for Excellent Product Award, and its results have been reported by the American Federation of Physics and reprinted and reported by ScienceDaily, ScienceNews, CCTV, Science and Technology Daily, etc.

Topic title: Bio-additive composite molding and its application in the construction of in vitro skin models

Abstract:

Biomanufacturing, which combines tissue engineering, biomaterials, and advanced manufacturing technologies, has shown great potential in the development of human tissues/organs. As one of the most representative advanced manufacturing technologies, bio-additive composite molding overcomes the problem that a single additive manufacturing technology is difficult to achieve controllable molding of multiple materials and components. Therefore, current research has focused on the preparation of complex biological structures based on the technology.

The undulating microtopography located at the junction of the dermis and epidermis of the native skin is called rete ridges (RRs), which plays an important role in enhancing keratinocyte function and providing three-dimensional (3D) microenvironment. Despite some progress in recent years, most currently skin models still cannot replicate the RRs. Here, a composite manufacturing method including electrospinning, 3D printing, and functional coating was developed to produce skin models with RRs. Polycaprolactone nanofibers were firstly electrospun to mimic the ECM and be responsible for cell attachment. Polycaprolactone microfibers were then printed onto top of the polycaprolactone nanofibers layer by 3D printing to quickly prepare undulating microtopography and finally the entire structures were dip-coated with gelatin hydrogel to form a functional coating layer. The results proved that each model had high cell viability, good proliferation, and the expression of differentiation marker. It was worth noting that the sizes of the RRs affected the cell growth status. In addition, the unique undulation characteristics of the epidermal-dermal junction can be reproduced in the developed models. Overall, these in vitro skin models can provide valuable reference for screening and safety evaluation of drugs and cosmetics.