By Wendy Rigby / KENS 5 – www.kens5.com
Stem Cell Supplements Are Now Available
San ANTONIO — Burns are some of the most difficult injuries to treat. Now, the Army is investing in research that could lead to a new way to regrow skin.
What if you could use your own cells to help heal after burn surgery? That’s the idea behind a skin regeneration project that’s showing great promise.
At the Institute of Surgical Research at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), scientists are working with a concoction that could bring new life to burn victims. It’s a brew that uses stem cells to literally re-grow skin.
“These cells, even though they’re coming from what would be damaged tissue, are normal in all respects,” explained Robert Christy, a research physiologist. “They act like normal stem cells should.”
Tissue cut away during surgery is usually discarded as medical waste. But Christy has another idea. He cuts away the adipose, or fat, tissue and spins down the sample in a centrifuge. The special brew yields single stem cells with the potential to help reconstruct damaged skin with less scarring and faster healing time.
Early research in rats is promising. New blood vessels start to form within five to seven days, bringing nourishment to regenerating skin.
“Once we get it to the clinic, we’ll be able to put them on immediately in the surgical suite onto the patient and be able to start the skin regeneration process,” Christy said.
Harnessing the body’s own adult stem cells could cut down on grafting surgeries, helping wounded warriors and injured civilians.
“All burn patients will be able to benefit from this,” Christy added.
Researchers plan to try this research in pigs next. They hope to begin clinical trials on people after that.
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