British researchers have developed a prototype artificial skin that can be used to heal wounds much faster than they normally heal.
A UK-based company named Intercytex has stated that the company has got promising results from the skin and hopes to use the technology as an alternative to skin grafts.
Currently doctors take skin from a healthy part of the patient’s body and graft it on the damaged area. This new technique can prove to be a much better alternative than skin grafting. Some doctors have stated researchers have always tried to develop artificial skin, but since this skin does not blend with the body hence it has limited application areas.
However, Intercytex believes that the skin created by them is better than all types developed till now and also believes that it can heal wounds faster, since it weaves into wounds in a better way.
This new skin is made using a matrix of fibrin. Fibrin is a protein that is developed by body to heal wounds. This matrix is then integrated with human fibroblasts. Human cells then produce another protein named Collagen, which makes the matrix even more stable. This is the final product and the artificial skin is implanted in this form.
Researchers have conducted tests where they cut an oval section of skin from the arms of six healthy volunteers and replaced it with their lab grown skin. After 28 days the artificial skin remained stable and the wounds had healed with less scarring.
If future tests and results come up to expectations then it can change the way doctors all over the world try to heal wounds and burns. Still some researchers are of the opinion that it is easier to heal small wounds and the artificial skin developed by these British researchers will falter when used on a bigger wound.
Via: BBC
