The SkinGun uses stem cells from the patient’s own healthy skin to heal the damaged areas. Image RenovaCare
Skin grafting has been the standard procedure of choice to heal damaged skin but it is tedious, painful and very expensive. The SkinGun, with its CellMist technology, hopes to simplify this by using stem cells from the patient’s own healthy skin cells.
According to Fast Company, the SkinGun sprays fluid containing the patient’s stem cells onto wounds like burns. This helps the tissue to heal faster and without scarring. The faster healing rate also means lesser chances for infections.
The syringe filled with fluid and stem cells sits on top of the gun like a crossbow bolt. Image RenovaCare
After gathering stem cells from the healthy skin of a patient, they are placed into a suspension and transferred to a syringe that goes into the SkinGun itself. The device is similar to a plant-mister when it sprays out a layer of the stem cells into the damaged skin tissue.
For now, treatments are restricted to experimental ones in Germany while exploratory work is being done in the US. The procedure may also be too advanced for minor burns while conversely being inadequate for third-degree burns where there will be hardly any healthy skin to derive stem cells from. The procedure does have promising applications for second-degree burn cases. Alfred Bayle