Artificial skin from microalgae, provides oxygen to help wounds heal

New skin types from microalgae, often found in rivers, streams, and lakes, can photosynthesize and produce oxygen, thereby regenerating damaged skin areas.

At the lecture at Santiago de Chile University, scientist Egaña, PhD in Human Biology and Pharmacology, explained that, after 8 years of analysis and testing on mice, pigs and fish, he is Plans for human clinical trials at Hospital del Salvador, Santiago, with 20 patients with open skin lesions.

'This period will last about 6 months. A small but extremely important step to test the safety of technology. If it is safe, we can apply this technology to many other patients including cancer patients , 'Dr. Egaña said.

Scientist Tomas Egaña describes his work at Santiago de Chile University last November 15.

The study opens new hopes in skin grafting techniques thanks to the implantation of genetically engineered microalgae to produce oxygen, and thereby regenerate damaged skin areas.

'90% of cells in our bodies are not really . human. The human body is a true ecological system where microorganisms and human cells coexist. What we want to determine is what will happen in the body if we transplant these photosynthetic microalgae onto the skin , 'Dr. Egaña said in the presentation.

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants break down water molecules thanks to the energy from sunlight, thereby releasing oxygen, by-products that any living thing on Earth needs, Chilean scientist said.

'The complicated question is, what do we get if we can simulate this process in treating diseases when there are too many oxygen-induced diseases such as hemorrhage, heart attacks and major injuries? good? ' , Dr. Egaña added.

Green photosynthetic skin from microalgae promises to help the wound heal faster.

The second phase of the study will apply this technology in organ transplants so that organs can live longer while outside the body, and in cancer treatment to 'erase' cancer cells. widespread.

The primary goal of these first clinical trials is to find ways to prevent rejection of the body for the implanted photosynthetic skin and accordingly, the 6-month trial will also determine the potential range of applications. of this technique in other medical fields.

This idea came after Dr. Tomas Egaña realized that a wide-scale wound was difficult to heal because it was not provided with adequate oxygen from the blood vessels, making the oxidation process slow. The important material to make this artificial skin is microalgae that are often found in fresh water from rivers, streams and ponds. In the initial study, artificial skin from microalgae only had a 10-day lifespan, but it was enough to recover a wide-ranging wound.