The Derma Project: present and future possibilities of skin procurement for the treatment of large burns in Argentina, Tissue Engineering and the Cadaver Skin Bank

Abstract

INCE the first experiences with cadaver skin and those of Freeman 1 and Green 2,3 in the early 1970s with cultured keratinocytes, a lot of new concepts have been applied in the treatment of burns 4‐6 and other lesions of skin. 7 During these last years new strategies of artificial skin reconstruction known as tissue engineering, 8 ‐10 have been developed. As these modalities of treatment are constantly evolving, they will demand the plastic surgeons and those involved in skin transplantation a big effort to be prepared for their correct selection and use. Our objective was to analyze and describe the different skin substitutes obtained by tissue engineering techniques and modifications of cadaver skin in our program of skin procurement and tissue development for the treatment of large burns called The Derma Project.