From lab bench to living skin: SDU researchers pave the way for the artificial skin of the future
Two engineers from the Faculty of Engineering have solved a crucial challenge in developing artificial skin—the result: a new microchip capable of growing human skin – and perhaps one day saving lives.
In laboratories at the University of Southern Denmark, researchers are growing human skin – layer by layer – on an advanced microchip. Not just to better understand the skin but with the ambition to revolutionise everything from cancer research and the cosmetics industry to treating burn injuries.
What seemed like science fiction just a few years ago is today a technological reality, thanks to a unique collaboration between biology and engineering. Two researchers from the Faculty of Engineering (TEK), Associate Professor Casper Høgh Kunstmann and PhD Arkadiusz J. Goszczak, have developed a new type of chip that enables artificial skin to grow more stably and realistically than ever before.
Their innovation has removed a significant bottleneck for biologists – and opened new possibilities for research and future medical treatment.
From idea to breakthrough
Professor Jonathan Brewer from the Faculty of Science (NAT) and his team already had a promising method for growing skin on a chip. But it only worked sporadically.
The problem wasn't the biology – it was the technology. Brewer needed someone who could build something that worked every time – and he found that in Casper and Arkadiusz.
"They took our idea and developed a new way to manufacture the chip, using 3D printing and engineering precision," says Jonathan Brewer.
The result is a robust, flexible and automated platform that not only keeps the cells alive – but gets them to grow like real skin.
Skin under pressure – and thriving
The new chip makes it possible to stimulate the skin mechanically during its growth. It may sound like a technical detail, but it’s essential.
“Without mechanical stimulation, the skin does not develop properly – it stays flat and fragile,” explains Casper Kunstmann.
In real skin, gentle stretching from everyday movement helps cells grow in an organized way and form strong connections between neighboring cells, giving skin its strength and flexibility.
The chip mimics this by mechanically stretching artificial skin as it grows, promoting proper cell organization, intercellular connections, and mechanical strength.
"At the cellular level, it looks like skin," says Brewer.
"It has keratinocytes and fibroblasts and behaves like real skin. We still lack pigmentation, an immune system and blood vessels – but the simple design makes it easier to use in experiments."
Beyond research – potential in treatment
The technology is already being used for drug testing and disease modelling – for example, to understand and treat melanoma. However, it could also be used in cosmetics and toxicology – and possibly for tailor-made skin transplants in the future.
However, Brewer clarifies that clinical use still requires time and further development.
"You need the patient's cells to avoid rejection, and it takes weeks to grow the skin. But it can be done."
This approach has already been used in some cases – such as rare skin diseases.
"It's all about timing and need. Our chip provides a more stable and scalable foundation for the technology," he says.
A collaboration that works
The partnership between TEK and NAT is a textbook example of what interdisciplinary cooperation can achieve.
"The biologists had the idea – but we had the experience to build something that works," says Arkadiusz Goszczak. Casper Kunstmann adds:
"We think like engineers and aim to make it reproducible."
So successfully, in fact, that Brewer has brought them onto other projects – including building systems to grow mini-brains for research into schizophrenia and Alzheimer's.
That requires stability and automation because every time a human touches the samples, there's a significant risk of contamination:
"Imagine tending something three times a week for five months – and then losing it all to an infection," says Brewer.
The way forward: From prototype to platform
The first chips worked – but now they are scaling up.
"We've developed a version where we can grow eight cultures in a single integrated unit, with fewer tubes, less risk, and less manual handling," says Arkadiusz Goszczak.
The technology is already so stable that they're printing new chips to order. "We make eight – and all eight work," Arkadiusz Goszczak says.
The collaboration between TEK and NAT has shown that when biology and engineering join forces, even the most complex ideas can become concrete, functional technologies.