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Advanced therapies of skin injuries

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Summary

The loss of tissue is still one of the most challenging problems in healthcare. Efficient laboratory expansion of skin tissue to reproduce the skins barrier function can make the difference between life and death for patients with extensive full-thickness burns, chronic wounds, or genetic disorders such as bullous conditions. This engineering has been initiated based on the acute need in the 1980s and today, tissue-engineered skin is the reality. The human skin equivalents are available not only as models for permeation and toxicity screening, but are frequently applied in vivo as clinical skin substitutes. This review aims to introduce the most important recent development in the extensive field of tissue engineering and to describe already approved, commercially available skin substitutes in clinical use.

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Acknowledgements

The paper was co-produced within the framework of the operation entitled “Centre of Open innovation and ResEarch UM (CORE@UM)”. The operation is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and conducted within the framework of the Operational Program for Strengthening Regional Development Potentials for the period 2007–2013, development priority 1: “Competitiveness of companies and research excellence”, priority axis 1.1: “Encouraging competitive potential of enterprises and research excellence”, contact No. 3330-13-500032. The authors also acknowledge the financial support from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of the Republic of Slovenia, as well as the financial contributions from the mnt-era.net funded project WoundSens with the grant number 3211-12-00002.

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The authors report no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Laboratory for Characterisation and Processing of Polymers, University of Maribor, Smetanova 17, 2000, Maribor, Slovenia

    Tina Maver &  Karin Stana Kleinschek PhD

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Toxicology, University of Maribor, Taborska ulica 8, 2000, Maribor, Slovenia

    Uroš Maver PhD

  3. Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 7, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Irena Mlinarič Raščan PhD

  4. University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Dragica Maja Smrke PhD, MD

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  1. Tina Maver
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Correspondence to Uroš Maver PhD.

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Maver, T., Maver, U., Kleinschek, K. et al. Advanced therapies of skin injuries. Wien Klin Wochenschr 127 (Suppl 5), 187–198 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-015-0859-7

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