Scientists from Olsztyn started work on creating a skin tissue bank that is unique on a national scale. They conduct research on solving the mystery of scar-free wound healing, which may lead to saving lives and alleviating suffering for many patients in the future.
Is the scar a boon or a curse? – there is no clear answer to this question – emphasized in an interview with PAP Prof. Barbara Gawrońska-Kozak from the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn, conducting research on scar-free wound healing.
A scar is a boon because its formation after an injury is a barrier between the inside of the body and its surroundings and prevents the intrusion of dangerous bacteria or viruses through an open wound. But scars can also be a curse. These post-burn injuries, so common among children, may limit growth, joint mobility, and cause deformities that are the source of complexes and mental inhibitions, explained Prof. Gawrońska-Kozak.
Similarly, post-traumatic or postoperative scars, especially those spreading beyond the wound, often located on the face, neck and chest. Tragic events in mines, such as in the Mysłowice-Wesoła mine, related to the methane explosion, successively highlight the helplessness of otherwise excellent burn treatment centers in rescuing the most burned people – she added.
As emphasized by prof. Gawrońska-Kozak, for example, amphibians deal with the problem of healing and scars. A lost amphibian organ (e.g. a tail) grows back during the regeneration process and functions exactly like the lost one. An additional advantage of amphibians is the scar-free healing of injured skin. It is believed that scar-free healing is a preliminary step to the regeneration of the entire lost organ. This ability existed in our distant ancestors, but it has been lost, she emphasized.
Scientists have long been intrigued by the question: do we humans have similar but unused mechanisms of regeneration? The only example of scar-free healing is our skin while we are still in the womb. Operations carried out on a fetus, which often save the lives of unborn children, do not leave any traces of surgical intervention. A child is born without a surgical scar. We lose this amazing feature right after birth and until the end of our lives, post-traumatic places mark our skin with scars – she explained.
Despite enormous efforts to understand and understand the mechanisms of scar-free healing and regeneration, these phenomena still remain a mystery, said Prof. Gawrońska-Kozak.
Research conducted at the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn focuses on solving this puzzle. The research model is a specific type of mice, in which skin injuries heal without scarring even in adulthood, similar to amphibians. The results of preliminary studies on an animal model are very promising – emphasized Prof. Gawrońska-Kozak.
However, she explained, only when the obtained results are documented on human tissues can we expect new solutions, new drugs and therapies leading to scar-free healing. An additional problem that scientists face is the great variety among people. It leads to a different structure of the skin depending on the age, body weight, illnesses, sex, hormonal changes, and even the place of skin collection.
Therefore, it is essential to test material collected from many people. All these aspects prompted us to establish cooperation with a group of doctors from the Provincial Hospital and the Children’s Hospital in Olsztyn. The aim of the cooperation is to create a bank of skin tissues unique in the country, emphasized the scientist.
The research project received the unanimous approval of the bioethics committee, which is composed of representatives of physicians, scientists and ethics. But a tissue bank can only be established with the goodwill and acceptance of patients. Hence, scientists are asking patients for permission to donate a small amount of skin tissue. In the course of treating injuries or planned surgeries, it happens that small fragments of skin tissues are removed as unusable.
For scientists, a five-millimeter-diameter skin sample (half the size of the smallest fingernail) is an invaluable treasure in research. This amount of tissue allows for the determination of 300 genes by means of molecular biology methods and, consequently, the identification of factors that contribute to the development of scars. This is already a big step towards the development of new drugs and therapies. All donors remain anonymous. Only the attending physician knows the medical history of these people. For the research to start, 700 skin samples are needed, explained Prof. Gawrońska-Kozak.
She added that the project of creating a skin tissue bank is the first step on the way to solving the mystery of scar-free healing, which may in the future lead to saving lives and alleviating the suffering of many patients. (PAP)