In a published study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, researchers from Tel Aviv University and Harvard explain having created a non-invasive method to prevent the appearance of scars during burns. Indeed, when our skin is burned, a regeneration mechanism is set in motion and results in the proliferation of collagen cells at the site of the injury: this is healing.
This leaves a mark that is not necessarily necessary, and which can be unsightly when it is permanent.
Thus, the researchers’ technique was to succeed in sending electrical micro-pulses into the wound in order to destroy the collagen cells before they irreversibly mark the skin. The trickiest part of this maneuver was to find the right balance between avoiding creating a new wound, and preventing the healing from being “too” effective, thus forming a growth on the skin.
“We believe that the technology we have developed, dubbed irreversible partial electroporation (or worse), can be used to prevent scar formation during burns, ”says study author Dr. Golberg.
To achieve an effective treatment, the researchers treated rats with burns by performing five therapies in the worse over six months. The results indicate a reduction in scar size of 58% compared to untreated ones.
First conclusive animal tests
The World Health Organization valued to more than 265,000 the number of deaths each year by burns. In France, 9,000 people are hospitalized each year for burns. Scars, in the most serious cases, affect those who wear them for life, both psychologically and socially.
“We have found a way to partially prevent scar formation in animals. Our next step is to successfully raise enough funds to develop a device for clinical trials,” said Dr. Goldberg.
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