For many years scientists were trying to figure out a way to re-grow body parts using our own stem cells. Many experiments showed successful results such as the one I talked about few months ago, when group of scientists used a patient’s own stem cell to restore eye sight.

A group of scientists in France led by Hind Guenou, PhD, concluded from their study that Human embryonic stem cells can be used to produce skin grafts for people who have been seriously burned.

The idea of using the patients own stem cell started to become more accepted among the medical professional because this would eliminate the rejection by the patient.

The current medical treatment for severely burned patients is getting skin from a deceased donor, but availability is limited, and the tissue often is rejected by the patient.

So the scientists in this study, employing a pharmacological treatment over 40 days, seeded feeder cells with human embryonic stem cells. The treatment drives the human embryonic stem cells toward forming an epidermis, the outer layer of skin the researchers report.

The team says it was able to generate a population of cells that showed the characteristics of the epidermis. Once manipulated on an artificial surface, the cells were able to form a layer of skin, the scientists say.

In 12 weeks, after grafting it onto five mice, the skin layer that came from human embryonic stem cells had a structure the “consistent” with human skin.

“We have shown that keratinocytes can be derived from [human embryonic stem cells],” the researchers write. “Growing human epidermis from [human embryonic stem cells] could have clinical relevance as an unlimited resource for temporary skin replacement in patients with large burns awaiting” grafts from their own newly grown cells.

Whether this technology can be used to extend the period needed to grow enough cells for a permanent graft is not known and future research is needed to see if it is, the researchers say.

Via – WebMD