A team of researchers from Sheba Medical Center and Tel Aviv University has made the first of its kind discovery to enable a new method of skin grafting, primarily used to treat severe burns.
The innovation, termed engineered skin, consists of a nanoscale matrix embedded with stem cells harvested from the patient’s own skin biopsy. This matrix forms a vital interface between the patient and a cultured skin implant. The research team enhanced the matrix with a novel amino acid formulation that accelerates skin cell growth by more than double the usual rate. This joint effort was led by Dr. Ayelet Di Segni and Prof. Josef Haik from the National Burn Center at Sheba Medical Center, alongside Prof. Lihi Adler-Abramovich and Dr. Amit Sitt from Tel Aviv University. Their findings were published in Advanced Functional Materials.
“In preclinical trials in animal models we showed that our engineered skin is better and faster in wound healing,’ said Dr. Di Segni.
A key advancement of this technique is the improved stability of the skin graft. Conventional skin implants typically shrink by around 50% once detached from the culture medium, posing significant challenges in covering large burn areas. In contrast, the engineered skin developed at Sheba and Tel Aviv University maintains its size and integrity. Additionally, the use of the patient’s own cells allows for natural growth on both sides of the nanofiber matrix. Surviving skin from the edges of the wound integrates with the new tissue, enabling the regenerated area to potentially restore hair growth and partial nerve function. This remarkable achievement not only challenges existing paradigms in skin regeneration but also sets a new global benchmark for burn care and treatment.

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