Clinical Trials, U.S.: Skin Transplants

Approximately 50,000 people are hospitalized each year for burns in the United States. Burn trauma remains a life-threatening and inflammatory condition that can destroy the skin and underlying tissue. After a severe thermal burn injury, skin integrity is compromised and fragile, and full thickness burns cannot heal without help. Skin transplantation using split thickness skin grafts (STSG) is the standard of care for second- and third-degree burns, and approximately 13,000 people annually require split thickness skin grafts. To prevent against rejection of a graft, skin grafts are taken from the patient (autografts).

Autografts are obtained by removing skin from a less damaged portion of the body (thigh or buttocks) and attaching it to a more damaged region. Split thickness skin grafts contain the epidermis and a ...