Prof Joerg Gerlach may have developed one of the most exciting developments to have ever taken place in regenerative medicine.
And it could mean the difference between life and death for severe burn victims by providing them with new skin - their own skin – rapidly, before infection can set in.
Prof Gerlach and his Bioreactor Group at the University of Pittsburgh's McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine have developed a 3-dimensional breeding ground for cells which improves upon the 2-dimensional petri dish.[i] It could grow skin stem cells, along with pancreas, liver, bone marrow, neuronal, skin, and cancer stem cells for research and therapeutic purposes.[ii]
But perhaps the most immediately exciting application of Gerlach’s technology is the treatment of severe burn victims.
First, scientists isolate healthy skin cells from burn victims’ bodies and place them in an aqueous solution inside a sterile syringe.
Second, the aqueous solution inside that sterile syringe is attached to a spray gun, in much the same way that a new canister of paint is hooked up to a spray can.
Third, the aqueous solution is sprayed directly on to the site of the burn.
This whole process can take place in one day, in as little as 1.5 hours.[iii]
Finally, Gerlach’s burn patients are treated with a unique bioreactor wound dressing that acts as an artificial vascular system. Tubes emanating from either end of the dressing do the work of both arteries and veins and distribute glucose, sugar, amino acids, antibiotics and electrolytes to the affected areas. This helps ensures that wounds remain clean, prevents infection from setting in, and provides an ideal environment for the healthy skin cells that have been sprayed on to the wound to regenerate.[iv]
The end result? New, healthy skin within days. If you do nothing else today, check out the amazing video link at http://www.thatvideosite.com/video/the_skin_gun to see it in action...  |
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[i] McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine (2011): http://www.mirm.pitt.edu/news/article.asp?qEmpID=328, Accessed 8 November 2011.
[ii] Ibid.
