Breakthrough Israeli Skin Graft Could Transform Burn Care
In a promising leap forward for burn treatment, researchers from Tel Aviv University and Sheba Medical Center have developed a new type of bioengineered skin that could dramatically improve recovery for burn victims. The team says the innovative graft, created from a patient’s own cells, heals wounds in half the time of current treatments and is stronger, more flexible, and easier to handle than existing options.
The research, published in Advanced Functional Materials, comes as medical teams in Israel continue to treat scores of burn patients, many of them soldiers injured in recent fighting. “Since October 2023, Sheba has treated many young people with burn injuries,” said Dr. Ayelet Di Segni, director of Sheba’s tissue bank. “At such a time, bringing knowledge accumulated in the lab directly to the patient’s bedside becomes an urgent and tangible goal.”
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Current grafting techniques either damage healthy tissue or rely on fragile lab-grown skin. By contrast, the new graft uses FDA-approved nanofiber scaffolds seeded with cells from the patient’s biopsy. The cells then self-organize to mimic the layered structure of natural skin, without requiring animal-derived materials or shrinking after transplantation.
“In model animals, we saw wound closure in just four days versus eight with standard methods,” said Dr. Marina Ben-Shoshan, a senior researcher at Sheba. “We even observed early hair follicle growth.”
The research team includes scientists from TAU’s Schools of Dental Medicine, Chemistry, and Engineering, as well as Sheba’s Burn Center. They now aim to pursue additional trials and regulatory approvals to bring the product closer to clinical use.
