A team of surgeons at the University of Utah have successfully demonstrated the ability to use a patient’s own blood-borne progenitor cells to treat serious burns. In a process that takes just 15 minutes, the surgeons extracted platelets and progenitor cells from the patient’s blood, and added calcium and thrombin to create a topical spray which was then used to help heal burned skin. While the procedure has currently only been tested on smaller burns, the surgeons hope to eventually conduct clinical trials on patients with more extensive trauma.
Here’s a report from Salt Lake City’s KSL TV:
KSL Story: Stem cell spray heals burns…
(hat tip: Engadget)