The NovoSkin solution:

NovoSkin is currently developing technologies that could revolutionise the treatment of severe burns.

The first step is to temporise the wound after debridement to avoid wound contraction and limit the risk of infection. This is achieved by placing our Biodegradable Temporising Matrix (‘BTM’) in the wound bed to provide a suitable environment for dermal tissue regeneration. BTM is fully integrated to the wound within 10 days of implantation and is at this stage ready for the second step: grafting.

Two types of graft can be applied: Autograft or Autologous cultured skin equivalent.

NovoSkin is developing an autologous cultured skin equivalent called Composite Cultured Skin (‘CCS’), where a small sample of the patient’s own skin is harvested and cultured, on a NovoSorb™ scaffold, using well established cell culture techniques. The objectives are to eradicate the additional injuries resulting from autograft harvesting and to produce functional cultured skin sheets within 21 days of biopsy, ready for grafting on the BTM implant.

At this stage, the BTM has been successfully tested and benchmarked in porcine model, in large full thickness wounds, against the leading dermal replacement product. Human clinical trials will commence in Q1 2012 subject to Human Research Ethical Committee (HREC) approval.