Using swept-source optical coherence tomography to monitor the formation of neo-epidermis in tissue-engineered skin

There is an increasing need for a robust, simple to use, non-invasive imaging technology to follow tissue-engineered constructs as they develop. Our aim was to evaluate the use of swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) to image tissue-engineered skin as it developed over several weeks. Tissue-engineered skin was produced using both de-epithelialized acellular dermis (DED) and amorphous collagen gels. In both cases the epidermis could be readily distinguished from the neodermis, based on a comparison with standard destructive histology of samples. Constructs produced with DED showed more epidermal/dermal maturation than those produced using collagen. The development of tissue-engineered skin based on DED was accurately monitored with SS-OCT over 3 weeks and confirmed with conventional histology.