Israeli researchers have developed a new type of artificial skin derived from patients’ own cells, designed to significantly accelerate the healing process of burn wounds.
The innovation, developed at Sheba Medical Centre, has been published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials and could mark a major advance in burn treatment protocols.
The technology involves the creation of a laboratory-grown skin graft termed a “cultured epidermal autograft.” Unlike conventional grafts that rely on harvesting large sections of healthy skin from the patient’s body, this method requires only a small biopsy. The patient’s cells are then cultured and integrated into a nanofibre scaffold, resulting in a flexible and robust skin substitute.
Burn injuries of second-degree severity and above often require surgical intervention to replace damaged tissue, prevent infection, and improve the chances of survival. The current standard of care remains autologous skin grafting, wherein healthy skin is removed from one part of the body and transplanted to the affected area. However, this method presents limitations, particularly in cases involving extensive burns. When large areas of the body are affected, there may be insufficient healthy skin available for grafting, and additional trauma is caused by removing skin from unburnt areas.
Professor Lihi Adler-Abramovich, one of the project leaders, explained that the new artificial skin could potentially overcome these challenges. “Autologous grafting, while effective, damages intact tissue. Our approach circumvents that by enabling the growth of patient-specific skin tissue using a minimal amount of donor material,” she said.
The artificial skin is grown by seeding the patient’s skin cells onto a nanofibre scaffold made from the polymer polycaprolactone (PCL). This scaffold is enriched with a bioactive peptide, a short chain of amino acids that stimulates cellular growth and replication. The combination creates an environment in which the skin cells can organise themselves in a way that mimics the structure and function of natural human skin.
According to Dana Cohen-Gerassi, another lead researcher on the project, the skin cells not only adhered to the scaffold but also self-assembled into layers resembling genuine skin. “What is remarkable is how the cells aligned and differentiated on their own. We observed the formation of structural features similar to those found in native human skin,” she said.
The performance of the cultured grafts has shown promising results in early trials. Marina Ben-Shanan, a member of the research team, noted a marked improvement in healing time. “In conventional treatment, the closure of half a burn wound typically takes about eight days. With our method, this was reduced to just four,” she stated.
Moreover, the grafts demonstrated the capacity to regenerate key skin structures, such as hair follicles, which are usually absent in standard artificial grafts. The properties of the new skin—described as durable, elastic, and easy to handle—could offer practical advantages in clinical settings.
Despite its potential, the method is not without limitations. One key drawback is the high material requirement. Covering a large surface area necessitates numerous individual grafts. For example, treating the entirety of one arm or leg could require up to 30 separate cultured patches.
The team is now working to improve the scalability of the technique. Further research will focus on optimising the growth process and reducing the number of grafts needed to treat extensive injuries.
The development arrives amid global interest in advanced wound-healing technologies. In a related innovation, Australian scientists are conducting the world’s first clinical trial of 3D-printed skin. That approach involves printing skin cells directly onto wounds using a printer placed over the injury site.
Both developments highlight an emerging trend towards personalised regenerative medicine, where a patient’s own biological material is used to create tailor-made therapeutic solutions. While the Israeli artificial skin has not yet reached the stage of commercial deployment, it represents a potentially transformative tool in trauma and burn care, particularly in cases where traditional grafting is not viable.
Clinical trials and regulatory reviews are likely to follow in the coming years, as researchers work to translate these laboratory findings into frontline medical practice.
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