Research on skin production with stem cells

Doctors at Concord Hospital in Sydney, Australia are studying ways to help patients burn by creating alternative skin layers in the laboratory, hoping to make a turning point in their treatment. burn victims.

The Association of Sydney Burns hopes to create a replacement skin type that helps people with burns feel and move.

Australian doctors describe this study ahead of current burn treatments for "light years."

Professor Peter Maitz, head of the project, said: "The basic concept is to create a mechanism like a sponge and absorb water, called a substrate, which is usually located in the epidermis deep under human skin. .The sponge-like mechanism will be seeded with the patient's own cells. "

Mr. Bernie Schulte is recovering.

According to the professor, once that is achieved, the real problem will be how to accept the body. The ultimate goal of biological engineering is to create any piece of cell or organ system to allow it to be accepted by the patient.

In recent years, skin grafting techniques have gone very far but cannot completely cure deep-burning burns in the cells. Current skin grafting methods use skin taken from another part of the patient's body, but there are disadvantages: no stretching, sweating or hair growth.

Professor Peter Haersch, of the research group at Concord Hospital, said the new technique could create a full-thickness replacement skin. And this will be a great step forward.

Although it may take another decade for this technique to be widely available, scientists say the technique has the potential to dramatically change the lives of burn victims.

For example, Bernie Schulte, a former police officer switched to a farm in New South Wales. When a forest fire covered the land of this cattle farmer last year, he suffered severe burns so the medical staff did not think he would pass.

Mr. Schulte said: "When you are 62 years old and burn up to 80% of the body, most countries will not have the facilities to save you. Professor Maitz intervened and took away my ruined cells. They used a brush to rub the skin to burn away the burned skin because you can't be healed if the body is covered with the burned flesh. '

According to Schulte, after three months he was in a good healing process.

Professor Maitz believes that new therapies will improve the overall quality of life of patients.

The replacement skin test with a comprehensive thickness on mice and pigs will begin in Sydney in 2011, and human trials may begin within the next three years.