Autologous Skin Patch Cultivation via Keratinocyte Fibroblast Seeding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for treating deep burns and cutaneous tissue losses, such as skin grafts from the patient's own skin, result in scarring, surgical complications, high costs, and immunologic rejection issues, while using cells from dead bodies can lead to tissue rejection and high costs due to the need for extensive compatibility testing.
Innovation Solution
A process using autologous cells and serum from the patient to cultivate skin layers on a collagen substrate, which can be produced in just three days, eliminating the need for surgery, reducing scarring, and avoiding immunologic rejection and high costs by using a small skin sample and common laboratory materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If skin grafts are obtained from the patient's own skin, then effective wound coverage is achieved, but scarring and surgical complications occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates an artificial skin construct that copies the structure and function of natural skin using cultured keratinocytes and fibroblasts on a collagen-glycosaminoglycan substrate. This cultured skin equivalent serves as a copy of the missing skin tissue, providing wound coverage without requiring harvesting from the patient's own skin, thereby avoiding donor site scarring and surgical complications
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary culturing of keratinocytes and fibroblasts in vitro before application to the wound site. This preliminary action allows the skin substitute to be prepared in advance with optimized cellular structure and function, enabling effective wound coverage while avoiding the need for immediate surgical harvesting and reducing overall treatment trauma
2Productivity
If cells from dead bodies are used for skin culture, then skin regeneration is achieved, but immunologic rejection and tissue incompatibility occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the source parameter of the cells from heterologous (dead bodies) to autologous (patient's own cells). By using the patient's own keratinocytes and fibroblasts, the immunologic compatibility parameter is optimized, eliminating rejection risks while maintaining skin regeneration capability. The culture conditions are also optimized with specific growth factors and substrates to enhance cell proliferation and differentiation
3Reliability
If extensive immunologic compatibility testing is performed, then tissue rejection risk is reduced, but costs and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses autologous cells to create a custom skin equivalent that is inherently compatible with the patient, eliminating the need for extensive immunologic compatibility testing. The autologous nature of the cultured cells ensures immunologic compatibility by default, reducing both testing time and costs while maintaining high reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patient's own cells serve themselves by providing inherent immunologic compatibility. The autologous keratinocytes and fibroblasts cultured from the patient's skin automatically ensure compatibility without requiring external testing or matching procedures, thereby reducing time and resource requirements
4Reliability
If autologous keratinocytes and fibroblasts are cultured in autologous serum, then immunologic rejection is avoided, but production time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the culture medium parameters by using autologous serum instead of standard fetal bovine serum. This parameter change maintains immunologic compatibility while the culture process is optimized to achieve confluence in 12 days. The use of autologous serum at 10% concentration provides necessary growth factors while controlling costs and production time
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This process achieves rapid skin regeneration with minimal scarring, reduced pain, lower costs, and lower risk of rejection, making it a viable alternative for treating cutaneous losses without the need for extensive testing or specialized equipment, and can be replicated in various settings.
Implementation Method 1
cultivation of autologous keratinocytes and fibroblasts with autologous serum for the generation of skin
Implementation Method 2
establishing confluent, stratified layers of cultured autologous keratinocytes on the surface of a modified collagen-glycosaminioglycan membrane that contains autologous fibroblasts
Implementation Method 3
collagen-glycosaminioglycan membrane that contains autologous fibroblasts
Data Source
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AI summary
The process in general is based on taking a sample of skin and a sample of blood from the patient and based on these two elements skin is cultured, being placed on a collagen patch to produce a dressing which is subsequently placed on the patient requiring same.