The aging of the skin is the focus of the Tuba research grant-funded project by Michael Außerlechner, who conducts research at the University Department of Pediatrics and, together with his colleague Judith Hagenbuchner, heads the 3D bioprinting laboratory – the first of its kind in Austria. “Using 3D bioprinting, we are developing a structured 3D skin model made of human cells in so-called ‘fluidic chips’, which contain corresponding blood vessel-like structures and spontaneously form fine capillaries,” says the microbiologist, describing the core of the project, which aims to induce ageing processes and test strategies that can either delay skin ageing or specifically eliminate aged skin cells.