The Skin Gun

The skin gun is a device developed by Dr. Jorg C. Gerlach for the deposition of healthy skin cells onto burn wounds. Dr. Gerlach, who performs research at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, has created a skin cell spray gun, which sprays a burn patient's own stem cells onto the affected area, allowing the cells to attach and grow into a strong layer of skin.http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eXO_ApjKPaI

With the skin gun, patients with severe burns from fire, chemicals, radiation or electricity can grow healthy skin cells and heal within a matter of days. The gun is still in development and requires further clinical research to determine its safety and total effectiveness. Over a dozen burn victims so far have been successfully treated with the skin gun as of early 2011.http://finance.yahoo.com/news/EHSI-Skin-Gun-For-Burns-is-bw-1426200526.html?x=0&.v=1

The skin gun is intended for use on severe burns that cover a large surface of the body or certain critical areas such as face or joints. The "degree" of a burn refers to how many of the three layers of skin are burnt. Second-degree burns, where the first and second layer are burned, result in blisters, intensely red and splotchy skin and severe pain. Third-degree burns may blacken or look pale, charred and leathery. They may affect the muscle and bones underneath the skin as well.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-burns/FA00022

With the skin gun, doctors perform a biopsy, isolate the patient's healthy skin cells in a water solution, and then spray the solution onto the patient's wound. According to Dr. Gerlach, the entire process only takes an hour and a half, whereas the development of new sheets of skin used to take weeks or even months. Before, patients were at an increased risk of infection as they waited for new skin to develop. The skin gun results in completely healed wounds within days, significantly reducing the chance of infection and death.http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eXO_ApjKPaI

The skin gun was developed through stem cell research, and indicates that adult stem cells may be used to successfully replace and restore tissues and organs damaged by other diseases and injuries.http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/24/content_10710920.htm According to the CEO of Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Cindy Morrissey, if clinical trials prove successful, the skin gun could represent an "incredible breakthrough in burn treatment, helping to shape the future of stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine."http://finance.yahoo.com/news/EHSI-Skin-Gun-For-Burns-is-bw-1426200526.html?x=0&.v=1

As Morrissey declared, "With so many new breakthroughs, it’s clear that stem cell therapies will be the future of medicine. The pent-up demand for stem cell treatments ensures that the regenerative medical industry will grow by leaps and bounds for decades to come with innovations that have the power to change lives."