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. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.