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A team of scientists in Singapore has developed a new type of human cell cultures to improve skin grafting techniques, according to a report published by the journal Nature. The results of this research, led by Singapore's Duke-NUS School of Medicine, open new avenues for safely treating serious burns and skin diseases.
In recent years, skin grafting techniques have improved, reaching in some cases, covering up to 90% of the body surface of patients burned or seriously injured.
In these cases, the epithelial cells are usually removed from the patient and these are grown in laboratory cultures to form larger tissue plates, which are then grafted onto the affected areas.
Mouse cells are often added to the culture to enhance the growth process. This mixture of genetic material between species presents some risks because it exposes patients to the possibility of infections and unwanted immune reactions.
The specialists used a protein called laminin, present in the body. They discovered that two specific variants of laminin (LN-511 and LN-421) are able to enhance the growth process of "keratinocytes in the skin of an adult human".
The keratinocytes are the predominant cells of the epidermis and, thanks to their high keratin content, a protein characterized by its resistance, stimulate the growth of epithelial cells, such as those that line the surface of the mouth, of the skin. Stomach and intestines.
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