Stem Cell Regenerating Gun for Burns

Burns are tissue damage that results from heat, overexposure to the sun or other radiation, or chemical or electrical contact. Burns can be minor medical problems or life-threatening emergencies.

The treatment of burns depends on the location and severity of the damage. Sunburns and small scalds can usually be treated at home. Deep or widespread burns need immediate medical attention. Some people need treatment at specialized burn centers and months-long follow-up care.

Burns are one of the most common types of injury to the skin. Each year, more than 11 million burn injuries worldwide require medical attention. 

When a burn is severe, it often requires a skin graft as treatment. During a skin graft, a piece of unburned skin is surgically removed and used to cover the site of the burn. 

A new alternative treatment is the use of stem cells, through a stem cell regenerating gun invented in 2008 that works like a paint gun to spray your own skin cells onto the burn. 

One of the devices, ReCell, is used by a surgeon that takes a small square sample of healthy cells from your skin. The skin has stem cells in the basal layer, which are retrieved within the sample and mixed with enzymes that separate the skin cells. Then everything is mixed into a buffer solution. The final step is to filter the cells and create a liquid, called Regenerative Epithelial Suspension, which contains all the types of skin cells needed for optimal healing. 

The suspension is sprayed over the burn wound and covered with bandages with two tubes running through that act as a vein and artery as the area heals. This technology allows the original skin cell sample to expand by 8,000 percent to roughly 320 square centimeters. The process takes about half an hour.

Benefits from the use of the skin stem cell gun, include shorter recovery time, reduced infection risk, painless procedure, more natural-looking skin, and minimal scarring. 

Source:

Daniel Yetman (2020, Apr 17). What You Need to Know About the Stem Cell Regenerating Gun for Burns. Healthline. Retrieved from: 

https://www.healthline.com/health/skin-cell-gun

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/burns/symptoms-causes/syc-20370539#:~:text=Burns%20are%20tissue%20damage%20that,and%20severity%20of%20the%20damage.

Image from: 

https://morningsignout.berkeley.edu/2019/04/10/advancements-in-stem-cell-biotechnology-the-skin-gun/