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Jackson Children's Specialist Are First To Apply New Skin To Newborn Original report from Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Biotechnology
New Hand
Biology Forum
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New Skin
Dateline: 01/14/99
Sometimes we take the simple things for granted: a gentle touch or a hug from a loved one. For some, such small gestures can have dire consequences. For people suffering from a set of rare genetic disorders, the skin may blister from the smallest touch. For years, people suffering from epidermolysis bullosa had little hope for relief from the disease.
Scientists at the University of Miami recently announced a new technique for bioengineering skin that offers hope to those suffering from the severe forms of the disease. An eight-week-old baby became a recipient of this bioengineered skin, known as Apligraf. Approximately 45% of her body has been covered with the new bioengineered skin. The skin is simply placed on her body and held in place by gauze and petroleum based products, similar to Vaseline. The baby's hands and feet are wrapped to make sure that she doesn't injure herself while the skin takes hold. Doctors hope to prolong her life with the replaced skin, although they don't believe that a full cure is imminent.
The baby has a particularly severe form of epidermolysis bullosa called Dowling Meara disease. Her cells lack the necessary cellular components that make skin "stick" together. As a result, the slightest contact can cause a tear in the skin. Likewise, persons with this disease are particularly susceptible to infections.
Apligraf was developed by a company called Organogenesis and was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It is a combination of a baby's foreskin and bovine collagen. A small piece of foreskin can produce enormous amounts of new skin. The foreskin is usually obtained after babies have been circumcised.
Apligraf has been used to heal both long-term and open venous wounds. In each case, the wounds did not heal on their own before the application of Apligraf. Organogenesis notes that the procedure has been reported by recipients to be thoroughly less painful than other procedures.
The doctors hope to continue their work with the use of Apligraf in regenerative medicine. They hope that the bioengineered skin will shorten patient stays in the hospital and allow them to effectively treat a host of skin problems.
What do you think? Might Apligraf be used for a variety of skin grafts, such as for burn victims? Are there other ways that it might be used? Come over to the Biology Forum and share your thoughts, opinions, and feelings. 'Til next time...
