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Every year, more than 11 million people in the world receive burns. It is quite a serious and sometimes life-threatening condition. The skin and soft tissue can be damaged by thermal, radiation, chemical, or electrical exposure. Burns can be superficial or deep, mild or extensive. The latter, in turn, can be fatal – about 300,000 people a year die from this cause (World Health Organization data).
 
Whatever the cause, burns bring discomfort and pain. To cope with it, timely treatment is necessary. Standard protocols include local application of antibacterial, analgesic and antiseptic drugs, regular tissue sanitation, removal of scabs, skin grafting, etc. Regenerative medicine, particularly stem cell therapy, can also be effective in combating burns. Read more about this method in this article.

 

 

Cell therapy for burns

stem cell treatment for burns

Stem cell therapy is an experimental method of treating burns. The first results of its application are promising. 

 

Stem cells have good potential to accelerate wound healing. Studies demonstrate their safety and efficacy. Clinical trials of this method are available for patients in some foreign clinics.

 

The sources of stem cells used to treat burn wounds vary on a case-by-case basis. Patient or donor mesenchymal stem cells are usually used. They are derived from the hair follicle, umbilical cord and cord blood, adipose tissue, bone marrow, dental pulp, and even removed sections of burned skin. Stem cell products – exosomes – may also be prescribed for treatment. 

 

Cell therapy is carried out: 

 

    иконка галочкиin the form of direct injections into the wound or its edges,  

    иконка галочкиby applying a cell spray (ReCell), 

    иконка галочкиspraying with a “skin gun” (RenovaCare). 

 

There is no unified protocol for treating burns with stem cells yet, so the approaches to the collection and application of cellular material vary from clinic to clinic. Further research is needed to establish the most appropriate type of this therapy for burn injuries. 

For more information about stem cell therapy for burns abroad, please contact the coordinating physicians of the MediGlobus International Medical Platform. Click the button below and fill out the feedback form.

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How are burns treated with stem cell therapy?

применение стволовых клеток при ожогах

Stem cell therapy for burns has shown good preclinical and clinical results. It was initially tested on small and large animals.

 

Between 2013 and 2021, 24 studies were performed. They showed that cell therapy significantly accelerates the healing process of burns (especially the second degree) without causing any side effects.

 

Stem cells of different types (umbilical cord, bone marrow, fat) and origins (autologous, allogeneic) were used for the studies. Cells derived from hair follicles proved to be the most effective. The cellular material was delivered in the form of intradermal injections into the edge or bed of the wound. This accelerated the process of tissue regeneration by about 15 days for deep burns.

 

    A human study was conducted in 2022. Ten people aged 18 years and older took part in it, divided into two groups. The results were analysed according to the Patient and Observer Assessment Scale (POSAS).

    The patients had deep second-degree burn wounds. The first five patients were injected with allogeneic bone marrow stem cells at a dosage of 2.5 × 103 per cm2, and the others at a higher concentration of 5 × 103 per cm2.

 

The patients responded well to treatment. They had 100% wound closure and minimal signs of tissue fibrosis. In the group that received lower doses of stem cells, the wound healing rate was 3.64 cm2 per day. In patients who received a higher-dose cell therapy, wound closure occurred at a rate of 10.47 cm2 per day. There were no signs of rejection or any other complications in either group.

Results of treating burn wounds with stem cells

The main goal of burn treatment is to restore the skin and normalise its physiological functions. The stem cells allow doctors to better achieve this task. This is due to the ability of the injected cellular material to modulate the release of proteins that activate the immune system and trigger cell growth factors necessary for the healing of burn wounds. Patients who have undergone such treatment heal faster and look more aesthetically pleasing.

Skin frame StrataGraft

    In 2021, the FDA approved a bioengineered skin graft called StrataGraft. It is a kind of “cellular skeleton” designed to treat deep burns. The product is a film made up of two types of human skin cells – keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts.

    StrataGraft is applied to areas of the body damaged by burns. Over time, the scaffold cells engraft and grow into normal, healthy skin. This treatment helps to minimise the number of skin flap transplants for extensive burns.

The cost of treating burns with stem cells

The price of stem cell treatment for burns varies depending on the clinic, the level of specialist, the type of cellular material and the method of injection. For example, in medical centres in Turkey, the cost starts roughly at $5,000. For more detailed pricing on the use of cell therapy for burn wounds, please contact the coordinating physicians of the MediGlobus Medical Platform.

Which hospital can provide stem cell treatment for burns?

Burns can be treated with modern methods, in particular stem cell therapy, at the specialist centre Stembio. This is a Turkish cellular clinic of the new generation. Cellular material is processed here, stored in special cryo chambers in the ready-to-use form, and then supplied for clinical use.

    Stembio performs cellular therapy for burn wounds. This treatment option allows for faster healing of damaged tissue, reduces fibrosis and inflammation, and improves the scarring process. After therapy, the risk of wound infection is significantly reduced.

 

For an appointment at Stembio Clinic, please contact the medical coordinators of the international medical platform MediGlobus. Please fill out an application form on our website.

 

    Summary

    иконка галочкиStem cell therapy can be a very effective treatment for burns. It can speed up tissue regeneration, reduce inflammation and fibrosis, and improve the outcome of skin scarring. This is especially important for treating burns in patients with diabetes mellitus or other pathologies that reduce the rate of wound healing. 

    иконка галочкиIf an injury occurs, the skin should be healed as quickly as possible to prevent inflammation and excessive blood loss. Stem cell injections make this possible. They significantly speed up the tissue regeneration process and do not cause serious side effects. 

    иконка галочкиAccording to data from clinical trials on the use of allogeneic bone marrow cells in second-degree burns, cell therapy has a positive regenerative effect. After treatment, patients can have a healing rate of up to 11 square centimetres of thermal burns in a day.  

    иконка галочкиStem cell therapy is available at the Stembio Clinic. This is a specialist facility that provides a full range of services in the field of cell therapy. It has all the facilities required for the harvesting, processing, storage and clinical application of stem cells. 

To find out where and how you can get treatment for burn injuries abroad, please contact our experts. We can help you find a clinic and doctor, organise your trip and deal with any medical issues you may have.

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Sources:

  1. National Library of Medicine
  2. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
  3. The Wiley Online Library
  4. Vietnamese Journal for Medical Biotechnology and Medicine Incorporating Advances in Regenerative Medicine
  5. National Institutes of Health
  6. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy
  7. LiveJournal 
  8. American Medical Association
  9. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)

 


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