BIOSKIN
As a Science Research Project during my Junior year of highschool, I developed a cost-effective solution for burn wound treatment by combining 3D printing and biotechnology. I remembered hearing that skin grafts often had a 30% failure rate and cost $3-5,000 per sqft, even when the graft was coming from you own body! In an industry that had seen almost no vertical innovation since the invention of skin grafting itself, maybe the price seemed to be another habitual pain that we simply accepted. Inspired by a 2 year internship I had under an OHSU burn surgeon, I developed a dermal mixture of collagen peptides, aloe vera, gelatin, hyaluronic acid, and silver nanoparticles, an designed a syringe extruder that could be attached to any 3D printer. The mixture can be easily prepared in most hospital settings and printed out to match any burn wound, reducing the cost of skin graft materials from thousands of dollars to under $100. This solution aims to decrease deaths caused by infections, improper treatment, or lack of medical care. The project won 1st place in Bioengineering, an invitation to the International Science and Engineering Fair, and the Patty Jeanne Semura Best of Fair award. Images of the design process are shown below.