Canadian doctors have invented a portable device capable of "printing" new skin directly onto a wound. The device is able to heal even deep burn marks on any part of the body without leaving scars.
The handheld "bioprinter" was developed at the University of Toronto with the participation of specialists from the Burn Center of the Sunnybrook Center for Medical Sciences. "Its analogy is a scotch tape dispenser," researcher Axel Gunther said earlier.
This week, the device was successfully tested on experimental pigs. Scientists were pleased with the result, which opens up prospects for the early treatment of burn injuries of the skin in humans.
According to Gunther, the new device is much more effective than the current method, when damaged tissue is removed and replaced with healthy tissue taken from another area of the patient's body. Moreover, this method is ineffective for deep and extensive burns, with the destruction of the upper and lower layers of the skin.
The device created by doctors, explains the researcher, completely eliminates the need for grafts by applying a fibrin sheet directly to the wound. Bioinks are made up of a protein involved in blood clotting, which helps the body's immune system and stimulates the growth of new cells.