Human skin grown from stem cells offers burns victims hope

Published on Thursday 19 November 2009 21:55

SCIENTISTS have transformed stem cells into human skin in a breakthrough that may revolutionise the treatment of burns victims.

The cells, derived from embryos, were turned into a biosynthetic layer in an artificial matrix in the laboratory.

They formed a structure-like human skin 12 days after being grafted on to five mice. The findings were published in the medical journal, The Lancet.

Researchers said the technique could be used to produce temporary skin while burns patients, such as troops and civilians injured in Afghanistan, await skin transplants or grafts.

It took 40 days of pharmacological treatment to generate a population of the human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into showing all the characteristics of skin cells, called keratinocytes.

Dr Christine Baldeschi, of the National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Paris, and colleagues issued a statement on their breakthrough. It said: "We have shown that keratinocytes can be derived from hESCs.

"Growing human epidermis (skin] from hESCs could have clinical relevance as an unlimited resource for temporary skin replacement in patients with large burns awaiting autologous grafts (derived from the same individual's body]."

For more than 20 years patients with serious burns have benefited from cell therapy to help them recover from their injuries.

The patient's own skin cells are taken, and more are grown in the laboratory, and used to replace the damaged skin.

But the major drawback of this is the three-week period needed to grow enough cells, which puts the patients at risk of dehydration and infection.

Skin from dead people can be used to cover wounds during this period, but availability is limited and the tissue is often rejected by the host.

Synthetic matrices have been developed but up until now these substitutes have increased the risks of rapid graft rejection and disease transmission.

Dr Baldeschi's team say future work should look at whether or not this technology could extend the period needed to grow enough cells for a permanent graft, or if it could be used in situations where a permanent graft using the patients' own skin is not possible.

In an accompanying commentary stem cell biologists Dr Holger Schluter and Dr Pritinder Kaur, of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, said: "This report takes research into regenerative skin-stem cells to the next level.

"This finding suggests keratinocyte allografts derived from hESC keratinocytes could be transplanted onto burns patients awaiting grafts with a reduced risk of rejection."