Development of an engineered skin substitute for the treatment of burn injuries

Skin is the largest organ in the body and it acts as a barrier between the internal body organs and the external environment. Thus, it is more susceptible to injury than any other organ. Although there are several skin substitutes available there is no single one that is used as a standard treatment, because most substitutes lack one or two essential properties that make the best clinical outcome. Here we explore the possibility of improving on currently available skin substitutes by designing a composite material (hydrogel in a porous carrier) to help with healing full thickness and partial thickness burn wounds.