Scarring from severe burns can be the most dangerous, deadly and debilitating medical issues a patient can face. The risk of infection is tremendous and the growth of new skin is frighteningly slow. Even with physical therapy, for those that survive, the fibrotic adhesions and damage can leave the patient with a life time of problems. The idea of quickly and safely administering treatment to burn victims has long been on the bucket list of the medical community. Progress appears to be in the works.
An experimental ?skin gun? that applies a thin, liquid coat of the patients own cells is showing incredible promise. Dermagraft has been around for the treatment of open wounds and ulcers from diabetes for 10 years; stem cell research is accomplishing incredible things but is mired in the philosophical issues of religion, ?playing God? and politics.
There is also research being done into ?printing? skin at Wake Forest School of Medicine ?on a 3D printer. Because this process utilizes a donor, the risk of rejection and/or infection is still quite significant.
Enter the research on the ?skin gun? . Admittedly, still in the clinical stages, it is showing great promise, as it utilizes the patient’s own cells. Developed by Jorg C Gerlach, professor in the department of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh and faculty member at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, this technology could be a game changer in how burn victims are treated.
Severe burns can result in damage to not only the skin, but also, hair, fingernails and cartilage of the ears and nose. The ongoing research is focusing on the differentiation of the stem cells. As candidly stated on the McGowan Institute website, ?Understanding and manipulating the complex relationship between the cells and the scaffolding materials, however, represents the great challenge for tissue engineers. What cells should be used, for example, and should the combination of cells and materials occur in vitro or in vivo??
The incredible advancements occurring in the fields of medicine, science and technology are proving that knowledge and resilience will eventually overcome formidable obstructions in time.
