British doctors have received ethical approval to conduct the first major trial of a “spray-on” skin at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, West Sussex for burn victims and others with disfiguring skin problems.

Dr. Liz James, a cell culture scientist and head of research at the Blond McIndoe Center for medical research, based at the Queen Victoria Hospital said, “We have seen what I can only describe as miraculous results using spray-on skin, with patients surviving 90 percent burns who otherwise had very little chance of survival.”

The current method of treating people with severe and extensive burns involves taking skin samples from unaffected areas and putting them through a meshing machine to expand the tissue. This creates a “string-vest” pattern of skin with large holes which, it is hoped, will eventually join. But it is a slow and not always effective method.

The new method involves taking a healthy skin sample from the patient, and splitting in the laboratory to separate out the surface cells, known as keratinocytes. These cells are then cultured for two to three weeks, and made up into a suspension. At the same time other skin cell tissue from the patient is put through a different type of meshing machine, known as a meek mesher. Instead of creating a string vest pattern of tissue, this machine cuts the skin sample into tiny little squares. The cultured cells are then sprayed on to the small pieces of tissue and combine to create new skin for the patient.

Mr Phil Gilbert, a consultant plastic surgeon who specialises in burns, told the BBC News website: “It can cover much bigger areas and do it much more quickly. In pilot studies we also get the impression that wounds heal noticeably quicker with less scarring.”

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