REVIEW article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1538774
Development of pathological skin models: from conventional techniques to 3D bioprinting
Provisionally accepted
- 1Research And Innovation, L'Oreal, Aulnay-sous-Bois, France
- 2Episkin, Lyon, France
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Reconstructed human skin models were first developed in the 1970s. Since then, they have played a pivotal role in dermatological research, significantly advanced our understanding of skin biology, and brought huge insights into dermatological pathologies. Many conventional pathological skin models exist covering a wide range of diseases including melanomas, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, genetic disorders, and wound healing conditions. However, conventional skin models remain limited by technical constraints which prevent complete replication of the spatial organization (heterogeneities, microenvironment) of skin diseases.This review initially explores the current landscape of conventional reconstructed pathological skin models. Bioprinting techniques, bioink considerations, and their roles in creating complex skin models are discussed. It then highlights the benefits of bioprinting for tissue microenvironment replication, architectural fidelity, and integration of multiple cell types in pathological skin models. In terms of healthy skin models, three-dimensional bioprinting is already revolutionizing personalized medicine, automating model production, and supporting translational research and therapeutic and cosmetic screening. It also represents a transformative approach for developing advanced pathological skin models despite the remaining technical and regulatory challenges.
Keywords: human skin, pathological skin, Bioprinting, Reconstructed skin, Bioengineering
Received: 03 Dec 2024; Accepted: 08 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Rielland, Bernerd, Tan and Seyler. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Maite Rielland, Research And Innovation, L'Oreal, Aulnay-sous-Bois, France
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.