An Argentine health center has taken a significant step in the field of tissue bioengineering with the successful development of new skin to treat wounds. This is a technique that, scientifically, is called autologous dermo-epidermal culture for autograft and consists of taking a small sample of the patient's skin, which is cultured in the laboratory to grow and create new skin, which is then used to cover or repair the affected areas. This alternative was developed to improve the recovery of skin wounds, such as severe burns or ulcers, especially in people with difficulty regenerating tissue. Until now, the available treatment options were based on covering the lesions with skin from another person (allograft), animal-derived skin (xenograft), or synthetic materials that mimic the skin, according to a report from the Italian Hospital accessed by the Argentine News Agency. Dr. Luis Mazzuoccolo, head of the Dermatology Service and the Tissue Bioengineering Team of the aforementioned health center, explained: "When a person suffers a third-degree burn, all three layers of the skin are lost. It is necessary to replace the dermis - the intermediate layer - quickly, as its total loss leads to the loss of skin function (elasticity, sensitivity) and can have even more serious consequences". The 4-step skin culture technique. Extraction: the procedure begins with the extraction of a minimal portion of the patient's skin, formed by the superficial and intermediate layers (dermis and epidermis). In the case of burned patients, the sample is taken during their hospitalization. Lower cost: the development of this autologous skin allows for a significant reduction in treatment costs compared to commercial dermal substitutes. The sample is covered with a wet gauze and a compressive bandage is applied to protect the area. Lesion closure: within a range of 30 to 120 days after receiving the autograft, the regeneration of the patient's own tissue is achieved, and it is considered cured when it has the complete last layer of skin. Accelerated results and greater safety. The main objective of this technology is to achieve the natural regeneration of wounds, reactivating the healing process. The results obtained in the first experience are promising: in a burned patient, the skin treated with this technique recovered 95% of its elasticity, compared to the 75% achieved with the use of artificial skin. In addition, this procedure brings great advantages for the patient: Lower risk: by using exclusively the person's own skin, the absence of immunological rejection and contamination with biological materials is guaranteed. Better aesthetics: it achieves a visually more "natural" and stable healing, compared to synthetic skin grafts. Minimally invasive procedure: obtaining the skin fragment from the donor area is an outpatient procedure that uses local anesthesia. Using components from the same patient minimizes the risk of rejection, infections, or immunological reactions. Autograft: between 10 and 17 days later, the cultured skin sheet is applied to the surface of the wound. The extraction is performed in the inguinal area, which has good healing. Culture: the extracted portion of skin is cultured in platelet-rich plasma, which provides growth factors and serves as a support for the cells.
