Viable 3D bioprinted tissues: an animal testing substitute or still years from reality?

Over the last decade, 3D bioprinting has come on leaps and bounds, with significant advances being made in the development of viable, patient-specific soft tissues. Using microscale skin models, scientists such as those at the University of Stuttgart, are now working towards trialling the efficacy of cancer drugs and potentially making animal testing obsolete, while commercial firms like CELLINK have committed to the same cause, with its CEO Erik Gatenholm recently reiterating its aim of “reducing, and in some cases eliminating, animal testing by providing alternative models.”